Systems and methods for utilizing electricity monitoring devices to mitigate or prevent structural damage

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems for identifying and correcting abnormal electrical activity about a structure are provided. An electricity monitoring device may monitor electrical activity including transmission of electricity via an electrical distribution board to devices about the structure. Electrical activity may be correlated with respective electrical devices to build an electrical profile indicative of the structure&#39;s electricity usage. Based on the electrical profile, abnormal electrical activity may be identified and corrective actions may be taken to mitigate or prevent structural damage.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to and the benefit of the filing dateof (1) provisional U.S. Application Ser. No. 62/413,511, filed Oct. 27,2016 and entitled “Systems and Methods for Mitigating Risk UsingElectricity Monitoring Devices,” and (2) provisional U.S. ApplicationSer. No. 62/458,292, filed Feb. 13, 2017 and entitled “SYSTEMS ANDMETHODS FOR MITIGATING RISK USING ELECTRICITY MONITORING DEVICES,” theentire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure generally relates to energy monitoring and usage.More particularly, the present disclosure relates to monitoringelectrical activity about a structure, such as a home, to mitigate orprevent damage to the structure caused by electrical activity.

BACKGROUND

Conventional homes are subject to electrical fires or other electricalissues that lead to damage to the home, as well as to personal property.Also, with the proliferation of the “internet of things,” more householddevices are gaining communication and network connectivity capabilities.Still, conventional homes may remain subject to insurance-relatedevents, such as those caused by electrical issues.

SUMMARY

The present embodiments may, inter alia, facilitate communications withconnected devices and items, and/or facilitate insurance-relatedprocessing associated with the connected devices and items, among otherfunctionalities. For instance, the present embodiments may dynamicallymonitor electricity flow to various electronic devices associated with aproperty (e.g., smart or conventional home) that may be populated with aplurality of devices. An Electricity Monitoring (EM) device may bewithin the home or proximal to the home, such as in the vicinity of thehome's main electrical distribution board (or “breaker box”). The EMdevice may wirelessly sense, detect, monitor, and/or generateElectricity Flow (EF) data indicative of the electricity flowing to eachand every electric or electronic device within a home (such as everydevice connected to the home's electrical system and drawing powertherefrom). The wireless EM device may wirelessly identify theelectricity flow to and from each electric or electronic device basedupon each device's unique electronic signature (or “fingerprint”). TheEF data may be monitored for trends, and/or abnormal or unexpectedconditions, and based upon the trends and/or abnormal electricity flowone or more corrective actions may be taken. The corrective actions maymitigate or prevent insurance-related events, such as electrical firesor suddenly failed equipment at the most inconvenient time.

The electricity usage or flow data for individual electric or electronicdevices that are located within, or powered by, a home generated by theEM device may be used for various purposes, such as (1) device andappliance fault, irregularity, and/or degradation detection; (2)preventative maintenance programs or logs; (3) control and optimizationof energy usage within a home; (4) safe and/or low energy usagecompliance programs; (5) risk evaluation and underwriting; (6) insuranceclaim verification; (7) insurance fraud or “buildup” detection (e.g.,theft or arson); (8) insurance-related event or disaster reconstructionand analysis (e.g., cause of a fire); (9) analysis of quality andstability of energy/electricity received from an energy provider; (10)home occupancy detection, monitoring, and verification, and subsequentlyrisk profile adjustment for insureds and/or the home; (11) home, auto,life, health, and personal articles insurance discount or rewardsprograms; (12) quote generation for home, auto, and/or personal articlesinsurance; (13) updating risk profiles associated with (i) homes, (ii)personal articles and/or electric devices within or about a home, and/or(iii) vehicles that routinely connect and exchange electrical power withthe home's electrical system; (14) determining electric arc sparking;(15) identifying home wiring degradation or issues; and/or otherpurposes, including those discussed elsewhere herein.

The EF data or other data generated by the EM device may be combinedwith other sources of data, such as home telematics data, vehicletelematics data, data gathered from consumer wearable devices and/ormobile devices, and/or data gather by other electronic devices. Thecombined data may be used for various purposes, including the purposesdiscussed directly above and elsewhere herein.

In one aspect, a computer-implemented method of taking corrective actionbased upon abnormal electricity usage within a home may be provided. Themethod may include (1) building, via one or more processors, a historicor an expected electricity usage, flow, and/or consumption profile for ahome and electric devices therein, the expected electricity usage, flow,and/or consumption profile including day-of-week and time-of-dayinformation, and may be based upon electricity detected by a wirelessElectricity Monitoring (EM) device (which may include one or moreprocessors, sensors, and/or transceivers) over a period of time; (2)monitoring, via the wireless EM device, current home and individualelectric device/appliance electricity usage, flow, and/or consumptionvia the EM device, the EM device being an electric or electroniccomponent that wirelessly detects unique electric or electronicsignatures of each electric or electronic device being powered by thehome's electricity or electrical system; (3) comparing, via the one ormore processors, the current electricity usage, flow, and/or consumptionwith the expected electricity usage, flow, and/or consumption to detectan abnormal electricity usage or abnormal trend; and/or (4) when theabnormal electricity usage or trend is detected, via the one or moreprocessors, take a corrective action to mitigate or prevent potentialdamage to the home or the electric devices being monitored. The methodmay include additional, less, or alternate actions, including thosediscussed elsewhere herein.

In another aspect, a computer-implemented method of determining homeoccupancy may be provided. The method may include (1) monitoring, via awireless Electricity Monitoring (EM) device (which may include one ormore processors, sensors, and/or transceivers), (i) current homeelectricity usage, flow, and/or consumption, and/or (ii) currentindividual electric device/appliance electricity usage, flow, and/orconsumption, the EM device configured to wirelessly detect uniqueelectric signatures of each electric device being powered via the home'selectrical system; (2) receiving, via one or more processors and/ortransceivers, data indicative of (i) current home electricity usage,flow, and/or consumption, and/or (ii) current individual electricdevice/appliance electricity usage, flow, and/or consumption from the EMdevice via wireless communication or data transmission over one or moreradio links or communication channels; (3) determining, via one or moreprocessors, an average amount of home occupancy (such as for a period oftime) based upon the (i) current home electricity usage, flow, and/orconsumption, and/or (ii) current individual electric device/applianceelectricity usage, flow, and/or consumption (such as comparing actualhome or appliance electricity usage, flow, and/or consumption withhistoric or expected electricity usage, flow, and/or consumption for ahome presently occupied by one or more persons); (4) updating, via theone or more processors, (i) an home occupancy profile, or (ii) a riskprofile for the home (or for the home owner, or a vehicle associatedwith the home) based upon the average amount of home occupancy; and/or(5) updating, via the one or more processors, an insurance discount forthe home or insured home owner based upon the home occupancy profileand/or risk profile to facilitate providing insurance discounts to riskaverse home owners or households. The method may include additional,less, or alternate actions, including those discussed elsewhere herein.

In another aspect, a computer system equipped with a machine learningprogram may be configured for evaluating the integrity of a home'selectrical system and the electric devices therein may be provided. Thecomputer system may include one or more processors, transceivers, and/orsensors configured to: (1) train a processing element (programmed with amachine learning program or algorithm) to identify deficiencies ordegradation of electric devices based upon electricity flow, usage, orconsumption (EF) data gathered or generated by a wireless ElectricityMonitoring (EM) device, the EM device configured to wirelessly identifyindividual electricity flow to a specific electric device and/orcorrelate that individual electricity flow to that specific electricdevice based upon the unique electrical signature of the specificelectric device; (2) receive, via a communication element (such as viawired or wireless communication or data transmission over one or moreradio links or communication channels), current electricity flow, usage,or consumption (EF) data for the home and electric devices thereingathered or generated by the wireless Electricity Monitoring (EM)device; (3) analyze the current EF data for the home and electricdevices therein with the trained processing element to determine ordetect one or more deficiencies or degradations for the home andelectric devices therein; and/or (4) initiate, via the processingelement, a corrective action that mitigates or prevents damage to thehome or the electric device when one or more deficiencies ordegradations for the home and electric devices therein are detected tofacilitate proactive home monitoring and maintenance. The system mayinclude additional, less, or alternate functionality, including thatdiscussed elsewhere herein.

In another aspect, a computer-implemented method of identifying andcorrecting abnormal electrical activity about a structure may beprovided. The method may include (1) monitoring, via an electricitymonitoring device, during a first period of time, electrical activitycomprising transmission of electricity via an electrical distributionboard to a plurality of electric devices about the structure; (2)correlating, via one or more processors, the electrical activity withrespective electric devices of the plurality of electric devicesreceiving the transmitted electricity, based upon an electricalsignature unique to each respective electric device; (3) building, viathe one or more processors, based at least upon the correlatedelectrical activity, a structure electrical profile including, for eachrespective electric device, data indicative of operation of therespective electric device during at least the first period of time; (4)identifying, via the one or more processors, an abnormal electricalactivity about the structure, wherein the abnormal electrical activityis identified by comparing the structure electrical profile withelectrical activity monitored via the electricity monitoring device;and/or (5) initiating, via the one or more processors, one or morecorrective actions for mitigating or preventing damage about thestructure as a result of the abnormal electrical activity. The methodmay include additional, fewer, or alternate actions, including thosediscussed elsewhere herein.

In another aspect, a computer-implemented method of determiningoccupancy of a structure may be provided. The method may include (1)monitoring, via an electricity monitoring device, electrical activitycomprising transmission of electricity via an electrical distributionboard to a plurality of electric devices about the structure; (2)correlating, via one or more processors, the electrical activity withrespective electric devices of the plurality of electric devicesreceiving the transmitted electricity, based upon an electricalsignature unique to each respective electric device; and/or (3)determining, via the one or more processors, based at least upon thecorrelated electrical activity, an average occupancy of the structure.The method may include additional, fewer, or alternate actions,including those discussed elsewhere herein.

In another aspect, a computer-implemented method of verifying anelectrical event about a structure may be provided. The method mayinclude (1) monitoring, via an electricity monitoring device, during afirst period of time, electrical activity comprising transmission ofelectricity via an electrical distribution board to a plurality ofelectric devices about the structure; (2) correlating, via one or moreprocessors, the electrical activity with respective electric devices ofthe plurality of electric devices receiving the transmitted electricity,based upon an electrical signature unique to each respective electricdevice; (3) receiving, via the one or more processors, an indication ofan insurance claim associated with claimed damage to the structure or toone or more claimed devices of the plurality of electric devices; (4)analyzing, via the one or more processors, the correlated electricalactivity to determine whether the claimed damage occurred; and/or (5)determining, via the one or more processors, a veracity of the insuranceclaim, based upon whether the claimed damage occurred. The method mayinclude additional, fewer, or alternate actions, including thosediscussed elsewhere herein.

In another aspect, a computer-implemented method of determining riskassociated a structure may be provided. The method may include (1)receiving, via one or more processors, an indication of a request for aninsurance quote associated with the structure; (2) monitoring, via anelectricity monitoring device, electrical activity comprisingtransmission of electricity via an electrical distribution board to aplurality of electric devices about the structure; (3) correlating, viathe one or more processors, the electrical activity with respectiveelectric devices of the plurality of electric devices receiving thetransmitted electricity, based upon an electrical signature unique toeach respective electric device; (4) estimating, via the one or moreprocessors, based at least upon the correlated electrical activity, alevel of risk associated with the structure; and/or (5) generating, viathe one or more processors, based at least upon the estimated level ofrisk, one or more terms of an insurance quote associated with thestructure. The method may include additional, fewer, or alternateactions, including those discussed elsewhere herein.

In another aspect, a computer-implemented method of determining riskassociated a home may be provided. The method may include (1) receiving,via one or more processors, an indication of a request for a home loanassociated with the home; (2) monitoring, via an electricity monitoringdevice, electrical activity comprising transmission of electricity viaan electrical distribution board to a plurality of electric devicesabout the structure; (3) correlating, via the one or more processors,the electrical activity with respective electric devices of theplurality of electric devices receiving the transmitted electricity,based upon an electrical signature unique to each respective electricdevice; (4) estimating, via the one or more processors, based at leastupon the correlated electrical activity, a level of risk associated withthe home; and/or (5) generating, via the one or more processors, basedat least upon the estimated level of risk, one or more terms of a homeloan associated with the home. The method may include additional, fewer,or alternate actions, including those discussed elsewhere herein.

In another aspect, a computer-implemented method of reconstructing anevent associated with damage to a structure may be provided. The methodmay include (1) monitoring, via an electricity monitoring device,electrical activity comprising transmission of electricity via anelectrical distribution board to a plurality of electric devices aboutthe structure; (2) correlating, via one or more processors, theelectrical activity with respective electric devices of the plurality ofelectric devices receiving the transmitted electricity, based upon anelectrical signature unique to each respective electric device; (3)building, via the one or more processors, based at least upon thecorrelated electrical activity, a structure electrical profileincluding, for each respective electric device, data indicative ofoperation of the respective electric device; (4) receiving, via the oneor more processors, an indication of an insurance claim associated withclaimed damage to the structure; (5) identifying, via the one or moreprocessors, a subset of the electrical activity occurring during orshortly before the time at which the claimed damage is claimed to haveoccurred; and/or (6) comparing, via the one or more processors, thesubset of the electrical activity with the structure electrical profileto determine whether the claimed damage occurred involuntarily orvoluntarily. The method may include additional, fewer, or alternateactions, including those discussed elsewhere herein.

In another aspect, a computer-implemented method of identifying andcorrecting abnormal electrical activity about a structure may beprovided. The method may include (1) monitoring, via an electricitymonitoring device, during a first period of time, first electricalactivity comprising transmission of electricity via an electricaldistribution board to a plurality of electric devices about thestructure; (2) correlating, via one or more processing elements, thetransmitted first electrical activity with respective electric devicesof the plurality of electric devices receiving the transmittedelectricity, based upon an electrical signature unique to eachrespective electric device; (3) training the one or more processingelements to identify abnormal electrical activity about the structure,based at least upon the correlated first electrical activity; (4)monitoring, via the electricity monitoring device, during a secondperiod of time subsequent to the first period, second electricalactivity comprising transmission of electricity via the electricaldistribution board to the plurality of electric devices about thestructure; (5) identifying, via the one or more trained processingelements, from the second electrical activity, an abnormal electricalactivity about the structure; and/or (6) initiating, via the one or moreprocessing elements, one or more corrective actions for mitigating orpreventing damage to the structure as a result of the abnormalelectrical activity. The method may include additional, fewer, oralternate actions, including those discussed elsewhere herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The figures described below depict various aspects of the system andmethods disclosed herein. It should be understood that each figuredepicts an embodiment of a particular aspect of the disclosed system andmethods, and that each of the figures is intended to accord with apossible embodiment thereof. Further, wherever possible, the followingdescription refers to the reference numerals included in the followingfigures, in which features depicted in multiple figures are designatedwith consistent reference numerals.

FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary system including an electricity monitoring(EM) device configured to wirelessly sense, retrieve, collect, generate,and/or compile device-specific electricity data, and componentsconfigured to facilitate corrective or remedial actions triggered byabnormal or unexpected electricity flow or usage;

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary system configured to monitor electricalactivity about a structure such as a home;

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary computer-implemented method of usingelectricity flow and usage data collected by an electricity monitoring(EM) device to mitigate and/or prevent damage to a home and personalbelongings therein;

FIG. 4 depicts an exemplary computer-implemented method for detectingand correcting abnormal electrical activity about a structure;

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary computer-implemented method of usingelectricity flow and usage data collected by an electricity monitoring(EM) device to build or update a home occupancy profile;

FIG. 6 depicts an exemplary computer-implemented method for determiningoccupancy of a structure;

FIG. 7 depicts an exemplary computer-implemented method for verifying anelectrical event about a structure;

FIG. 8 depicts an exemplary computer-implemented method for determiningrisk associated with electric devices about a structure;

FIG. 9 depicts another exemplary computer-implemented method fordetermining risk associated with electric devices about a structure;

FIG. 10 depicts an exemplary computer-implemented method forreconstructing an event associated with damage to a structure;

FIG. 11 depicts an exemplary computer-implemented method for evaluatingthe integrity of a home's electrical system and the electric devicestherein using electrical activity monitored by an electricity monitoring(EM) device; and

FIG. 12 depicts another exemplary computer-implemented method detectingand correcting abnormal electrical activity about a structure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present embodiments may relate to, inter alia, monitoringelectricity flow to, and within, a home or other type of property.Electricity flowing to individual electric devices, such as smart orother appliances, electronics, vehicles (e.g., cars, boats,motorcycles), and/or mobile devices may be detected and monitored forabnormal usage or trends. Abnormal electric flow to various devices maybe indicate that failure is imminent, maintenance is required, devicereplacement is required or recommended, de-energization is recommended,or other corrective action is prudent.

In one aspect, a home may have a “smart” central controller that may bewirelessly connected, or connected via hard-wire, with various householdrelated items, devices, and/or sensors. The central controller may beassociated with any type of property, such as homes, office buildings,restaurants, farms, and/or other types of properties. The centralcontroller may be in wireless or wired communication with various“smart” items or devices, such as smart appliances (e.g., clotheswasher, dryer, dish washer, refrigerator, etc.); smart heating devices(e.g., furnace, space heater, etc.); smart cooling devices (e.g., airconditioning units, fans, ceiling fans, etc.); smart plumbing fixtures(e.g., toilets, showers, water heaters, piping, interior and yardsprinklers, etc.); smart cooking devices (e.g., stoves, ovens, grills,microwaves, etc.); smart wiring, lighting, and lamps; smart personalvehicles; smart thermostats; smart windows, doors, or garage doors;smart window blinds or shutters; and/or other smart devices and/orsensors capable of wireless or wired communication. Each smart device(or sensor associated therewith), as well as the central controller, maybe equipped with a processor, memory unit, software applications,wireless transceivers, local power supply, various types of sensors,and/or other components.

The central controller may also be in wired or wireless communicationwith an Electricity Monitoring (EM) device. The EM device may wirelesslydetect and monitor the electricity flow to, or usage or consumption by,each smart or other electric component within, or in proximity to, thehome. The central controller may also combine the Electricity Flow (EF)data generated by the EM device with other types or sources of data,such as interconnected home telematics data, autonomous or smart vehicletelematics data, home or vehicle telematics data gathered by a mobiledevice (e.g., smart phone, smart glasses, smart watch, etc.), wearableelectronic data, mobile device data, etc.

For instance, an insurance customer (who may be referred tointerchangeably herein as an “insured,” “insured party,” “policyholder,”“customer,” “claimant,” and/or “potential claimant”) may opt-in to aninsurance rewards or discount program. The customer may send EF dataassociated with their home that was or is generated by the EM device,along with various types of telematics data (home, auto, mobile device,etc.), to an insurance provider remote server via wireless communicationor data transmission over one or more radio links or communicationchannels. In return, risk averse home owners and insured may be providedwith insurance discounts or other insurance-cost savings after the EFdata and/or telematics data is analyzed by the remote server.

In some embodiments, each of the smart devices may be included on anelectronic or other inventory list associated with the property.Further, the inventory list may include a monetary value associated witheach smart device. In some embodiments, the monetary value maycorrespond to the replacement value, the MSRP, or other metricassociated with the corresponding smart device. The monetary value maybe manually entered by a user or automatically determined based uponvarious factors. The smart devices themselves may store the monetaryvalue, such as in a data tag or other type of storage or memory unit.The inventory list may further detail a location (e.g., GPS coordinates,a room of the property, an area or section of the property, or otherlocation indication) of each of the smart devices. In this regard,multiple of the smart devices may be associated with a single area orlocation of the property (e.g., a basement, a bathroom, a kitchen, afirst floor, etc.).

In addition to gathering data generated by the EM device associated withelectricity usage/flow/consumption, the central controller may alsoremotely gather data from the smart devices (or sensors associatedtherewith) dispersed around or otherwise interconnected within theproperty. The central controller may further receive data from aninsurance provider remote server (or other third party sources) thatmonitors potential risks to the property, such as inclement weather,crime patterns, recall data pertaining to items disposed on or proximateto the property, and/or other risks. The central controller may analyzeall of the data and automatically detect actual or potential issues thatmay result in damage to the property. In some cases, the data from theEM device and/or smart devices may indicate damage and/or risk of damageto the property. After analyzing the data or otherwise detecting thepresence of the EM device and/or smart devices, the central controllermay facilitate various insurance policy processing and applications.

Generally, the information gathered by the central controller from EMdevice, as well as the various smart devices and/or sensors disbursedaround the property, may be utilized for insurance purposes. Theinformation may be used to process or manage insurance covering thehome, residence or apartment, personal belongings, vehicles, etc. Thesystems and methods therefore offer a benefit to customers byautomatically adjusting insurance policies based upon an accurateassessment of personal property value. Further, the systems and methodsmay be configured to automatically populate proposed insurance claimsresulting from property damage via data gathered from smart devices.These features reduce the need for customers to manually assess propertyvalue and/or manually initiate insurance claim filing procedures.Further, as a result of the automatic claim generation, insuranceproviders may experience a reduction in the amount of processing andmodifications necessary to process the claims. Moreover, by implementingthe systems and methods, insurance providers may stand out as acost-effective insurance provider, thereby retaining existing customersand attracting new customers. It should be appreciated that furtherbenefits to the systems and methods are envisioned.

Exemplary System and Components

FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary system including a wireless ElectricityMonitoring (EM) device configured to wirelessly sense, retrieve,collect, generate, and/or compile device-specific electricity data, andcomponents configured to facilitate corrective actions, such as actionstriggered by abnormal or unexpected electricity flow or usage. AlthoughFIG. 1 depicts certain entities, components, and devices, it should beappreciated that additional or alternate entities and components areenvisioned.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 , the system 100 may include a property 105that contains a controller 120, a plurality of devices 110, and anElectricity Monitoring (EM) device 170 that may be each connected to alocal communication network 115 (or the controller 120 directly orindirectly). Each of the plurality of devices 110 and/or the EM device170 may be a “smart” device that may be configured with one or moresensors capable of sensing and communicating operating data associatedwith the corresponding device 110.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the plurality of devices 110 may include, as just afew examples, a smart alarm system 110 a, a smart stove 110 b, and asmart washing machine 110 c. Each of the plurality of devices 110, aswell as the EM device 170, may be located within or proximate to theproperty 105 (generally, “on premises” or “about the property 105”).Although FIG. 1 depicts only one property 105, it should be appreciatedthat multiple properties may be envisioned, each with its own controllerand devices. Further, it should be appreciated that additional or fewerdevices may be present about the property 105. For example, devicespresent i the property 105 may include a refrigerator, a microwave, atoaster, a television, a computer, telephone, a sound system, a lightbulb or another lighting fixture, a washer, a dryer, anelectrically-powered heating system, air conditioning system, waterheater, and/or other suitable devices. Finally, it should be understoodthat, while a home is generally described herein, the property 105 maybe an office building or another suitable property or structure.

In some cases, the plurality of devices 110 may be purchased from amanufacturer with the “smart” functionally incorporated therein. Inother cases, the plurality of devices 110 may have been purchased as“dumb” devices and subsequently modified to add the “smart”functionality to the device. For example, a homeowner may purchase analarm system that installs sensors on or near a door to detect when adoor has been opened and/or unlocked.

Additionally, the plurality of devices 110, and/or the EM device 170,may be configured to communicate either directly or indirectly withcontroller 120, such as via the local communication network 115. Thelocal communication network 115 may facilitate any type of datacommunication between devices and controllers located on or proximate tothe property 105 via any standard or technology (e.g., LAN, WLAN, anyIEEE 802 standard including Ethernet, and/or others). The localcommunication network 115 may further support various short-rangecommunication protocols such as Bluetooth®, Bluetooth® Low Energy, nearfield communication (NFC), radio-frequency identification (RFID), and/orother types of short-range protocols.

According to aspects, the plurality of devices 110, as well as the EMdevice 170, may transmit, to the controller 120 via the localcommunication network 115, operational data gathered from sensorsassociated with the plurality of devices 110, such as via wired orwireless communication or data transmission over one or more radio linksor communication channels. The operational data may be audio data, imageor video data, status data, and/or other data or information, includingEF data generated by the EM device for each electric component or outletwithin a home. For the plurality of devices 110, the operational datamay indicate that a window has been shattered; the presence of a person,fire, or water in a room; the sound made near a smart device; and/orother information pertinent (such as data indicative of electricity flowor usage) to an operation state or status of the plurality of devices110.

For the EM device 170, the operation data may include data indicative ofelectricity flow to and/or from various smart or other electronicdevices, including the plurality of devices 110. The data may alsoinclude electricity or energy usage for each electronic component,device, outlet, etc. within a home—such as data indicating theelectricity each device or room is using. For instance, energy usage ofair conditioners, washers, dryers, dish washers, refrigerators, stoves,ovens, microwave ovens, televisions, lamps, outlets, computers, laptops,mobile devices, other electronic devices, etc. may all be determined bythe EM device 170. The EM device 170 may wirelessly detect each flow ofelectricity to and/or form each different electronic device byidentifying each electronic device by its unique electronic orelectrical signature (or “fingerprint”). The EM device 170 may thengenerate electricity usage or flow data for each electronic devicewithin the home, or connected to the home's electrical system (such as ahybrid or fully electric vehicle 160 having its battery wiredly orwirelessly charged by the home's electrical system).

The operational data, including EF data, may include a timestamprepresenting the time that the operational data was recorded. In somecases, the plurality of devices 110, as well as the EM device 170, maytransmit, to the controller 120, various data and information associatedwith the plurality of devices 110. In particular, the data andinformation may include location data within the property, as well asvarious costs and prices associated with the plurality of devices 110.For example, a washing machine may include a component such as a datatag that stores a location of the washing machine within the property105, a retail price of the washing machine, and replacement costs ofvarious parts of (or the entirety of) the washing machine. The variousdata and information may be programmable and updatable by an individualor automatically by the controller 120.

The controller 120 may be coupled to a database 112 that stores variousoperational data and information associated with the plurality ofdevices 110. Although FIG. 1 depicts the database 122 as coupled to thecontroller 120, it is envisioned that the database 122 may be maintainedin the “cloud” such that any element of the system 100 capable ofcommunicating over either the local network 115 or one or more othernetworks 125 may directly interact with the database 122. In someembodiments, the database 112 organizes the operational data accordingto which individual device 110 that the data may be associated withand/or the room or subsection of the property in which the data wasrecorded. Further, the database 112 may maintain an inventory list thatmay include the plurality of devices 110 as well as various data andinformation associated with the plurality of devices 110 (e.g.,locations, replacement costs, etc.).

The controller 120 may be configured to communicate with othercomponents and entities, such as an insurance provider 130 via thenetwork(s) 125. According to embodiments, the network(s) 125 mayfacilitate any data communication between the controller 120 located onthe property 105 and entities or individuals remote to the property 105via any standard or technology (e.g., GSM, CDMA, TDMA, WCDMA, LTE, EDGE,OFDM, GPRS, EV-DO, UWB, IEEE 802 including Ethernet, WiMAX, and/orothers). In some cases, both the local network 115 and the network125(s) may utilize the same technology.

Generally, the insurance provider 130 may be any individual, group ofindividuals, company, corporation, or other type of entity that mayissue insurance policies for customers, such as a homeowners, renters,or personal articles insurance policy associated with the property 105or an insured. According to the present embodiments, the insuranceprovider 130 may include one or more processing server(s) 135 configuredto facilitate the functionalities as discussed herein. Although FIG. 1depicts the processing server 135 as a part of the insurance provider130, it should be appreciated that the processing server 135 may beseparate from (and connected to or accessible by) the insurance provider130. Further, although the present disclosure describes the systems andmethods as being facilitated in part by the insurance provider 130, itshould be appreciated that other non-insurance related entities mayimplement the systems and methods. For example, a general contractor mayaggregate the insurance-risk data across many properties to determinewhich appliances or products provide the best protection againstspecific causes of loss, and/or deploy the appliances or products basedupon where causes of loss are most likely to occur. Accordingly, it maynot be necessary for the property 105 to have an associated insurancepolicy for the property owners to enjoy the benefits of the systems andmethods.

Generally, the controller 120 may be configured to facilitate variousinsurance-related processing associated with insurance policies for theproperty 105. In one aspect, the controller 120 may update a total valueof the devices 110 and determine any corresponding adjustments to aninsurance policy for the devices 110. In another aspect, the controller120 may pre-populate proposed insurance claims based upon the detectionof damage to the devices 110, as well as various location and pricingdata associated with the devices 110. The controller 120 may communicateany generated or determined information to the insurance provider 130(and vice-versa) via the network(s) 125 to facilitate theinsurance-related processing.

The controller 120 may also be in communication, via the network(s) 125,with an electronic device 145 or wearable electronic device 150associated with an individual 140 (such as via wireless communication ordata transmission over one or more radio links or communicationchannels). In some embodiments, the individual 140 may have an insurancepolicy (e.g., a home insurance policy) for the property 105 or a portionof the property 105, or may otherwise be associated with the property105 (e.g., the individual 140 may live in the property 105). Theelectronic device 145 may be a smartphone, a desktop computer, a laptop,a tablet, a phablet, a smart watch, smart glasses, smart contact lenses,wearable electronic device, or any other electronic or computing device.

Additionally or alternatively, the controller 120 may communicate, viathe network(s) 125, with the electronic device 145 and/or the wearableelectronic device 150 to receive device positioning (e.g., GPS) datafrom the devices 145 and/or 150, the positioning indicating a locationof the individual 140 in possession of the devices 145 and/or 150.Generally, the device positioning data may be used to determine (e.g.,at the controller 120 or at the processing server 135) a proximity ofthe individual 140 to the property 105. Effectively, the devicepositioning data may indicate that the individual was within theproperty 105 at a particular time in the past, or that the individual ispresently within the property. Such positioning-based indications may beincorporated to perform many of the functions that will be describedherein.

According to some embodiments, the controller 120 may transmit, via thenetwork 125, a proposed insurance claim related to the property 105 tothe electronic device 145. The proposed insurance claim may containpre-populated fields that indicate various information and data, such ascauses of loss (e.g., water, wind, fire, etc.); damaged devices; costsassociated with the damaged devices; time, date, location of theinsurance-related event; and/or other information included in aninsurance claim. The controller 120 may also transmit any modificationsto insurance policies based upon detected data from the plurality ofdevices 110. In response, the homeowner 140 may accept the proposedinsurance claim or make modifications to the proposed insurance claim,or otherwise accept/reject any modifications to the insurance policy.The electronic device may transmit, via the network 125, the accepted ormodified insurance claim back to the controller 120. The controller 120may facilitate any processing of the insurance claim with the processingserver 135 of the insurance provider 130. In some implementations, theprocessing server 135 may facilitate the proposed insurance claimcommunications and processing directly with the customer 140. Theexemplary system may include additional, less, or alternate components.

The controller 120 may also be in communication, via the network(s) 125,with a vehicle 160 associated with an individual 140 or home. Thevehicle 160 may be an autonomous vehicle, semi-autonomous vehicle, smartvehicle, electric or hybrid vehicle, or other vehicle configured forwireless communication and data transmission over one or more radiolinks or communication channels.

Exemplary System for Monitoring Electrical Activity

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary system 200 configured to monitorelectrical activity including electricity usage about a home 202. Thougha home 202 is depicted, the home may instead be another type ofstructure (e.g., a structure housing offices and/or a business).

Conventionally, the home 202 may be powered by electricity received, forexample, from a power plant 204 via an electrical power grid 206. Othersources of electricity (e.g., another widespread electrical network, alocal generator, a local solar panel array, etc.) are possible.

In any case, upon entering the home 202, the electricity may be routed(e.g., via a hot wire) to an electrical distribution board (also knownand referred to as a “breaker box” or “breaker panel”) 208 generallylocated within or about the home 202. The electrical distribution board208 may divide the received electricity between a plurality of circuits,each of which in turn transmit electricity to a respective one or moreelectric devices within, around, or generally near or about the home202. In each of the plurality of circuits, a circuit breaker or fuse mayprotect against excess current at the circuit.

As depicted in FIG. 2 , electricity may be transmitted via theelectrical distribution board 208 to the electric devices 212 a-212 iabout the home 202, the electric devices 212 a-212 i including anelectric water heater 212 a, an electrically powered vehicle 212 b, arefrigerator 212 c, a stove 212 d, a lighting fixture 212 e, a laundrywasher 212 f, and a dryer 212 g. Further, devices about the home 202 mayinclude an electrical outlet 212 h, to which another one or moreelectric device, such as a television 212 i, may be connected. Theelectric devices 212 a-212 i are only exemplary, and it should beunderstood that other electric devices (e.g., sensors, appliances,utility systems, electronics, etc.) may be among the electric devicesabout the home 202 receiving electricity via the electric distributionboard 208. Further, it should be understood that, as used herein,“electric devices about the home” or “electric devices about astructure” are not limited to electric devices physically located withinthe interior of the home or other structure 202, but instead mayadditionally or alternatively include electric devices physicallylocated outside of or generally around the home or other structure 202(e.g., a porch light, an electric grill, etc.), wherein the electricdevices are powered by electricity received via the electricaldistribution board 208.

In operation, as one or more of the electric devices 212 a-212 i receiveelectricity via the electric distribution board 208, each device of theelectric devices 212 a-212 i may be differentiated by an electricalsignature that is unique to a respective device. In other words,transmission of electricity to the refrigerator 212 c (and/or otherelectrical activity associated with the refrigerator 212 c), forexample, may be differentiated from transmission of electricity to thestove 212 d. Furthermore, transmission of electricity to the television212 i via the electrical outlet 212 h (and/or other electrical activityassociated with the television 212 i and/or outlet 212 h), for example,may be differentiated from transmission of electricity to anotherrecipient electric device (e.g., a cable box) via the same electricaloutlet 212 h.

An electricity monitoring (EM) device 210 may be affixed to or situatednear the electrical distribution board 208. Generally, the EM device 210may utilize the unique, differentiable electrical signatures of theelectric devices 212 a-212 i by wirelessly (and/or via wired connectionto the electrical distribution board) monitoring electrical activityincluding transmission of electricity via the electrical distributionboard 208 to one or more of the electric devices 212 a-212 i. Monitoringof transmission of electricity to an electric device receiving theelectricity may include, for example, monitoring (i) the time at whichthe electricity was transmitted, (ii) the duration for which theelectricity was transmitted, and/or (iii) the magnitude of the electriccurrent in the transmission.

Based upon the unique electrical signatures of the electric devices 212a-212 i, the monitored electrical activity may be correlated withrespective electric devices 212 a-212 i receiving the electricitytransmitted via the electrical distribution board 208. Further,electrical activity associated with other components of the home'selectrical system (e.g., the electrical distribution board 208 or wiringabout the home 202) may be correlated with one or more electric devicesto which the electrical activity also pertains. In some embodiments, theEM device 210 may perform the correlation and/or other functionsdescribed herein, via one or more processors of the EM device 210 thatmay execute instructions stored at one or more computer memories of theEM device 210. In other embodiments, the electricity monitoring device210 may monitor and record the electrical activity, and the correlationand/or other functions described herein may be performed at anothersystem (e.g., a smart home controller or an insurance system), which mayreceive data and/or signals indicative of monitored electricity and/orother data via one or more processors and/or through transfer via aphysical medium (e.g., a USB drive). In any case, correlation of theelectrical activity with the respective electrical devices may producedata indicating, for example, the time, duration, and/or magnitude ofelectricity consumption by each of the electric devices 212 a-212 iduring a period of electrical activity monitoring.

Based upon at least the correlated electrical activity, a structureelectrical profile may be built and stored at the EM device 210 and/orat some other system (e.g., a smart home controller or an insurancesystem). The structure electrical profile may include, for each of theelectric devices 212 a-212 i about the home 202, data indicative ofoperation of the respective electric device during at least the periodat which the EM device 210 monitored electrical activity about the home202.

Operation data regarding an electric device may include, for example,historical data indicating the electric device's past operation patternsor trends. For example, historical data may indicate a time of day, dayof the week, time of the month, etc., at which an electric devicefrequently uses electricity (e.g., a lighting fixture 212 e may not useelectricity during late night hours of the day). As another example,historical data may include the electric device's total electricityconsumption or usage rate over a period of time. Additionally oralternative, historical data may include data indicating past eventsregarding the electric device (e.g., breakdowns, power losses, arcfaults, etc.).

Additionally or alternatively, operation data regarding an electricdevice may include an expected electricity consumption or baselineelectricity consumption for the electric device. For example, in thecase of a refrigerator 212 c, the refrigerator 212 c's electricityconsumption during a first period of monitoring may be reliably used toapproximate an expected electricity consumption at a later time.

Further, the structure electrical profile may include data pertaining tothe structure as a whole. For example, the structure electrical profilemay include data reflecting a total electricity or average usage rateover a period of time. As another example, the profile may includetime-of-day, day-of-week, etc., data reflecting times at which the home201 as a whole uses more or less electricity. Further, the profile maydetail specific types, classes, or specifications of electric devicesthat behave differently or consume a different amount of electricitycompared to other electric devices within the home 202. Further, theprofile may detail specific risks determined to be relevant to one ormore of the electric devices 212 a-212 i or to the home 202 as a whole,based upon the electrical activity of the electric devices 212 a-212 i.

Furthermore, the structure electrical profile may include a digital“map” of the home 202. A home map may indicate spatial locations of theelectric devices 212 a-212 i, and/or spatial relationships between twoor more of the electric devices 212 a-212 i. Such mapping may indicate,for example, a risk associated with the spatial placement of the stove212 d, and/or a risk associated with placing the refrigerator 212 cadjacent to the stove 212 d. Additionally or alternatively, the home mapmay indicate which of the electric devices 212 a-212 i are connected toeach electrical circuit within the electrical system of the home 202.Such mapping may indicate, for example, a risk of overloading aparticular circuit based upon a number or intensity of electric devicesconnected to the circuit. As another example, the home map may be usedto determine what electric devices may lose power if a particularcircuit were to be de-energized (e.g., due to risk or abnormalelectrical activity associated with one electric device on the circuit).

In any case, in some embodiments, the home map may be configurable by auser (e.g., a homeowner of the home 202). The user may, for example,configure the map via an I/O module (e.g., screen, keypad, mouse, voicecontrol, etc.) of the EM device 210, or via an I/O module of anothercomputing device, which may transmit the home map to the EM device 210.Additionally or alternatively, the home map may be stored at one or morecomputer memories of another system (e.g., an insurance entity, or asmart home controller).

In some embodiments, the system 200 may include one or more smartcomponents. For example, a smart home controller may be present aboutthe home 202, and at least one of the electric devices within the homemay be a smart device (e.g., a smart appliance or a smart vehicle). Thesmart home controller may further be in communication with one or moresensors that may be located on or otherwise associated with electricdevices and/or other fixtures about the home 202. Such sensors and smartdevices may transmit to the smart home controller data (e.g., usagedata, error signals, telematics, etc.) that, alone or combined with thefunctions of the EM device 210 discussed herein, may produce furtherindication of electrical activity about the home 202. The smart homecontroller may be configured for wireless communication with each sensorand/or associated item interconnected with a smart home system orwireless network (e.g., the system 100 of FIG. 1 ).

Accordingly, the structure electrical profile may be built additionallybased upon telematics data associated with the home 202. Telematics datamay include, for example, (i) home telematics data (e.g., applianceusage data) received from smart devices and/or sensors, (ii) vehicletelematics data received from a smart and/or autonomous vehicle, (iii)mobile device telematics data (e.g., positioning data) received from amobile device associated with an occupant of the home 202, and/or (iv)any other telematics data described herein, particularly with regard toFIG. 1 . Telematics data may be received at the EM device 210 and/or atsome other system that builds the structure electrical profile.

Additionally or alternatively, the structure electrical profile may bebuilt based upon positioning (e.g., GPS) data from a mobile device of aparty associated with the home 202, the positioning indicating of theparty at any particular time. For example, the structure electricalprofile may be built to indicate historical electrical activity and/orexpected future electrical activity based upon whether the party iswithin the home 202

The system 200 may include additional, fewer, or alternate componentsand functionality, including the components and functionality discussedelsewhere herein. Further, one or more components of the system 200 maybe similar or identical components to analogous components illustratedand described with regard to FIG. 1 . In other words, the functionalityof the system 200 described herein may be combined with thefunctionalities of the system 100 of FIG. 1 .

Exemplary Methods of Loss Prevention & Mitigation

Generally, electrical activity about a structure may be monitored via anelectricity monitoring (EM) device to detect or identify abnormalelectrical activity about (i.e. within or proximal to) a structure suchas a home. The EM device may monitor electrical activity during a firstperiod of time, and monitored electrical activity may be correlated withrespective electric devices about the structure by utilizing a uniqueelectrical signature that exists for each respective device. Based uponthe correlated electrical activity, a structure electrical profile maybe built, and the profile may depict, for example, average electricityoperation/usage, baseline electricity operation/usage, and/or expectedelectricity operation/usage/consumption. In effect, the structureelectrical profile, based upon real electrical activity about thestructure, may set forth what is “normal” operation and usage ofelectricity about the structure. Thus, once the structure electricalprofile is built, any electrical activity monitored via the EM device atan electrical distribution board may be analyzed to determine whetherelectrical activity is abnormal. In response to the abnormal electricalactivity, among other possible factors, corrective actions mitigatedamage, prevent damage, and/or remedy the cause of the abnormalelectrical activity the situation may be determined and/or initiated.Some possible corrective actions will be discussed herein.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary computer-implemented method 300 of usingelectricity flow and usage data collected by a wireless EM device tomitigate and/or prevent damage to a home and personal belongingstherein. The method 300 may be performed, for example, by the system 100of FIG. 1 , the system 200 of FIG. 2 , another suitable system, or somecombination thereof. The method 300 may include mounting an EM devicewithin a home; and then collecting electricity flow (EF), usage, andconsumption data associated with the home and the electric devicestherein via the EM device (block 302). The EF data may be stored in amemory local to the EM device and analyzed via one or more processorsmounted within the EM device. Additionally or alternatively, the EMdevice may transmit the EF data collected or generated to a smart homecontroller and/or remote server for remote analysis.

The method 300 may include building a historic or expected electricityusage profile for the home and/or individual electric devices (block304). For instance, the EM device may build a historic or expectedelectricity usage profile locally using the past EF data collected, orthe smart home controller or remote server may do so remotely.

The method 300 may include monitoring and collecting current EF data viathe EM device (block 306). One or more local or remote processors, suchas the smart home controller or the EM device may compare the current EFdata with the historic EF data to detect abnormal usage and/or trends(block 308).

The method 300 may optionally include collecting other types of data,such as home telematics data, vehicle telematics data, mobile devicetelematics and other data, and wearable electronics data (block 310).The abnormal electricity usage, event, or trends may be verified usingthe additional data collected (block 312), including the home or autotelematics data.

The method 300 may include taking one or more corrective actions (block314) intended to mitigate or prevent home damage. For instance, themethod 300 may include de-energizing failing electric device(s) andnotifying the insured (block 316), such as via wireless communicationover one or more radio links to their mobile device. The method 300 mayinclude identifying a problem or abnormal condition, and turn on or offselected electric devices to mitigate or prevent home damage (block318). For instance, no lights may be detected to be on at night with thehome unoccupied. After which, the smart home controller may determine toturn on one or more outside lights, and/or rotate which lights are oninside of the home. Further, based upon the type or extent of problemidentified (e.g., electrical fire), first responders may be notified andrequested to respond to the event (block 320).

The method 300 may include handling or adjusting an insurance claimsubmitted via the customer's mobile device at an insurance providerremote server (block 322). The method 300 may include adjusting,updating, and/or generating insurance premiums and discounts based uponthe insured's home being configured with an EM device (block 324). Forinstance, risk averse customers may employ EM or other smart devices,and then be rewarded with an insurance discount or other insurance-costsavings. The method 300 may include additional, less, or alternateactions, including those discussed elsewhere herein.

FIG. 4 depicts a computer-implemented method 400 for detecting and/orcorrecting abnormal electricity operation about a structure, such as ahome. Generally, the method 400 may be performed by the system 100 ofFIG. 1 , by the system 200 of FIG. 2 , by another suitable system, or bysome suitable combination thereof.

The method 400 may include monitoring, via an electricity monitoring(EM) device, during a first period of time, electrical activitycomprising transmission of electricity via an electrical distributionboard to a plurality of electric devices about the structure (block402). A device of the plurality of electric devices may be, for example,any suitable electric device described herein with regard to FIG. 2 , orotherwise described in this detailed description. A record of themonitored electrical activity may be stored, for example, at the EMdevice or at another system (e.g., an insurance system or a smartcontroller of the structure).

The method 400 may also include correlating, via one or more processors,the electrical activity with respective electric devices of theplurality of electric devices receiving the transmitted electricity,based upon an electrical signature unique to each respective electricdevice (block 404). In other words, the electricity monitored at theelectrical distribution board by the EM device may be mapped to theindividual electric devices to which the electricity was transmitted.

The one or more processors may include one or more processors of the EMdevice. In other words, one or more processors of the EM device itselfmay perform at least some of the processor-implemented functionsdescribed herein. Additionally or alternatively, the one or moreprocessors may include one or more processors external to theelectricity monitoring device. In other words, the EM device maytransmit data and/or signals, via one or more processors of the EMdevice to another entity (e.g., an electricity provider entity or aninsurance entity) to report the monitored electrical activity, and atleast some processor-implemented functions described herein may beperformed by one or more processors of the other entity.

The method 400 may also include building, via the one or moreprocessors, based at least upon the correlated electrical activity, astructure electrical profile including, for each respective electricdevice, data indicative of operation of the respective electric deviceduring at least the first period of time (block 406). Operation data ofelectric devices may include, for example, historical, average,expected, or baseline electricity consumption by one or more of theelectric devices about the structure, as described herein with regard toFIG. 2 . Further, the structure electrical profile may include, forexample, electricity consumption data pertaining to the structure as awhole, as described wherein with regard to FIG. 2 . The structureelectrical profile may include additional or alternative profile dataregarding the structure and/or the electric devices thereabouts,including any profile data described in this detailed description. Thestructure electrical profile may be stored at a computer memory of theEM device or at another system (e.g., an insurance system, or a smarthome controller).

The method 400 may also include identifying, via the one or moreprocessors, an abnormal electrical activity about the structure, whereinthe abnormal electrical activity is identified by comparing thestructure electrical profile with electrical activity monitored via theelectricity monitoring device (block 408). In other words, the structureelectrical profile may define normal electrical activity about thestructure, and abnormal electrical activity may comprise any electricalactivity that, when compared to corresponding or otherwise relevantprofile data in the structure electrical profile, may be indicative ofsome abnormal condition within the structure.

The abnormal electrical activity may include electrical activityidentified from the first period of time at which the EM devicemonitored the electrical activity. For example, from building thestructure electrical profile, the one or more processors may determinethat some electrical activity from the first period is a severe outlier(e.g., a rapid spike in electricity consumption by a particular electricdevice).

Additionally or alternatively, the abnormal electrical activity mayinclude electrical activity identified from a second period of time atwhich the EM device monitors electrical activity about the structure. Inother words, the EM device may continue to monitor electrical activityat the electrical distribution board after the first period of time, andthe structure electrical profile may serve as a reference to identifyabnormal electrical activity once the profile is built.

Identifying an abnormal electrical activity about the structure mayinclude identifying a failing or faulty electric device. As just oneexample, abnormal electrical activity may include a laundry washercontinuing to consume significant amounts of electricity even after awashing cycle would be expected to end (the expectation may be based,for example, upon profile data regarding the washer at the structureelectrical profile). This phenomenon may suggest that the washer isstuck at some stage of a washing cycle, indicating some failure or faultof the washer.

Alternatively, an identified abnormal electrical activity associatedwith an electric device may be caused not by a failure or fault in theelectric device itself, but instead of some other element of thestructure. For example, abnormal electrical activity may include anelectric heater consuming a greater amount of electricity than would beexpected at a given time. This phenomenon may indicate a problem aboutthe structure that is not electrical in nature, but that still posesrisk to the structure (e.g., an open or broken window, or a displacedinsulating material).

Additionally or alternatively, the abnormal electrical activity mayinclude activity indicative of an arc fault or short circuit associatedwith an electric device, with the electrical distribution board, and/orwith some other component of the structure's electrical system.

The method 400 may also include initiating, via the one or moreprocessors, one or more corrective actions for mitigating or preventingdamage about the structure as a result of the abnormal electricalactivity (block 410).

The one or more corrective actions may include automaticallyde-energizing or turning off one or more electric devices. For example,if an electric device is identified as using an unsafe amount ofelectricity, the device may be de-energized before it can cause damageto the structure (e.g., a fire) and/or the electrical system therein.Additionally or alternatively, the one or more corrective actions mayinclude opening one or more circuit breakers of the structure.

Additionally or alternatively, the one or more corrective actions mayinclude notifying, via the one or more processors, an emergency responseentity (e.g., a fire department) in response to the abnormal electricalactivity. This corrective action may be particularly necessary if anabnormal electrical activity indicates an imminent threat (e.g., a fire)to the structure and/or to parties within the structure.

Additionally or alternatively, the one or more corrective actions mayinclude (i) generating, via the one or more processors, an electronic orvirtual message indicating the abnormal activity, and (ii) transmitting,via the one or more processors, the electronic or virtual message to acomputing device (e.g., a smartphone) of a party (e.g., a homeowner)associated with the structure. In other words, at least one of the oneor more corrective actions may be to notify a relevant party of theabnormal electrical activity. The message may include notification ofone or more corrective actions already taken; additionally oralternatively, one or more corrective actions may be suggested via themessage, and the party may approve the one or more corrective actionsvia an interaction at the party's computing device.

In any case, initiating the one or more corrective actions may includedetermining at least one of the one or more corrective actions basedupon an identified location of a mobile device associated with theparty. For example, the method 400 may include locating, via the one ormore processors, a smartphone of a homeowner associated with thestructure. Based upon whether the homeowner (as indicated by thesmartphone) is within the structure or far from the structure, the oneor more corrective actions may be determined. If the homeowner isdetermined to be within the structure, a corrective action may simply beto notify the homeowner of a potentially dangerous or imminentlydangerous situation. If the homeowner is far from the structure,however, it may be more likely that a corrective action includesnotifying an emergency response entity (e.g., a fire department) of theabnormal electrical activity.

Additionally or alternatively, the one or more corrective actions mayinclude any other suitable corrective actions discussed in this detaileddescription.

In some embodiments, the method 400 may further include generating, viathe one or more processors, an insurance discount for a party associatedwith the structure when one or more corrective actions are performed.Performance of one or more corrective actions may be associated withreduced risk to the structure or to a party (e.g., a homeowner)inhabiting the structure. The insurance discount may include a discountto a property insurance policy, a personal (e.g., life) insurancepolicy, and/or another suitable insurance policy. In any case, anotification (e.g., virtual message) of the insurance discount may betransmitted to a mobile computing device of a party associated with thestructure and/or the insurance policy.

Additional, fewer, or alternative functions to the method 400 arepossible. Additionally, one or more elements of the method 400 mayproceed in an order different from that depicted in FIG. 4 . Forexample, electrical activity about the structure may be correlatedand/or the structure electrical profile built while the electricitymonitoring device continues to monitor the electrical activity duringthe first period of time. As another example, in some instances, aparticularly abnormal or severely dangerous electrical activity may beidentified as the electrical activity is monitored during the firstperiod (i.e., without need to compare with an electrical profileparticular to the structure).

Triggering Corrective Action to Mitigate or Prevent Damage

In one aspect, a computer-implemented method of taking corrective actionbased upon abnormal electricity usage within a home may be provided. Themethod may be performed, for example, by the system 100 of FIG. 1 , thesystem 200 of FIG. 2 , another suitable system, or some combinationthereof. The method may include (1) building, via one or moreprocessors, a historic or an expected electricity usage, flow, and/orconsumption profile for a home and electric devices, the expectedelectricity usage, flow, and/or consumption profile may includeday-of-week and time-of-day information, and may be based uponelectricity detected by a wireless Electricity Monitoring (EM) device(which may include one or more processors, sensors, and/or transceivers)over a period of time; (2) monitoring, via the wireless EM device,current home and individual electric device/appliance electricity usage,flow, and/or consumption via the EM device, the EM device being anelectric or electronic component that wirelessly detects unique electricor electronic signatures of each electric or electronic device beingpowered by the home's electricity or electrical system; (3) comparing,via the one or more processors, the current electricity usage, flow,and/or consumption with the expected electricity usage, flow, and/orconsumption to detect an abnormal electricity usage or abnormal trend;and/or (4) when the abnormal electricity usage or trend is detected, viathe one or more processors, take a corrective action to mitigate orprevent potential damage to the home or the electric devices beingmonitored. The method may include additional, less, or alternateactions, including those discussed elsewhere herein.

For instance, the corrective action may be to generate, via the one ormore processors, an electronic or virtual message indicating abnormalelectricity usage by an electric or electronic device and recommendingmaintenance or a type of replacement device; and/or transmit, via theone or more processors and/or associated transceivers, the electronic orvirtual message to a customer's mobile device via wireless communicationor data transmission over one or more radio links or communicationchannels.

The abnormal electricity usage or trend may indicate more or lesspersons are occupying the home, and the method may include updating, viathe one or more processors, a home occupancy profile to indicate thatthe home is occupied by more or less persons. The abnormal electricityusage or trend may additionally or alternatively indicate more or lesspets are occupying the home, and the method may include updating, viathe one or more processors, a home occupancy profile to indicate thatthe home is occupied by more or less pets.

The abnormal electricity usage or trend may indicate more or lesspersons are occupying the home, and the method may include updating, viathe one or more processors, a risk profile for the insured, the home,personal articles, or a vehicle to indicate that the home is occupied bymore or less persons. The corrective action may be to automaticallyde-energize an electric or electronic device, generate an electronic orvirtual message detailing the event, and transmit the electronic orvirtual message to a customer's mobile device.

The corrective action may be identify faulty or failing components ordevices, generate an electronic or virtual message detailing the eventand faulty or failing components or devices, and transmit the electronicor virtual message to a customer's mobile device asking whether thecustomer would like to de-energize the faulty or failing components ordevices identified. The method may include generating an insurancediscount for an insured that has a home equipped with the preventive ormitigative functionality discussed herein, including the EM devicefunctionality.

The corrective action may be to identify, via the one or moreprocessors, a failing or faulty light bulb; generate, via the one ormore processors, an electronic or virtual message indicating the failingor faulty light bulb; and/or transmit, via the one or more processorsand/or associated transceivers, the electronic or virtual message to acustomer's mobile device via wireless communication or data transmissionover one or more radio links or communication channels.

The corrective action may be to identify, via the one or moreprocessors, an electric device to turn on or off; generate, via the oneor more processors, an electronic or virtual message indicating theelectric device recommended to be turned on or off; and/or transmit, viathe one or more processors and/or associated transceivers, theelectronic or virtual message to a customer's mobile device via wirelesscommunication or data transmission over one or more radio links orcommunication channels for their review and/or approval.

The corrective action may be to identify, via the one or moreprocessors, an electric device to turn on or off; turn, via the one ormore processors, the electronic device on or off; generate, via the oneor more processors, an electronic or virtual message indicating theelectric device turned on or off; and/or transmit, via the one or moreprocessors and/or associated transceivers, the electronic or virtualmessage to a customer's mobile device via wireless communication or datatransmission sent over one or more radio links or communication channelsfor their review.

The corrective action may be to notify, via the one or more processors,an EMS provider of an event, and a GPS location or street address of thehome. The corrective action may be to open, via the one or moreprocessors, one or more breakers supplying electricity to the home andelectronic devices therein. The corrective action may be to notify, viathe one or more processors, a customer mobile device of an event.

The corrective action may be to reconstruct, via the one or moreprocessors, a series of events prior to, during, and/or after aninsurance-related event is detected and/or verified using other types ofdata (such as home or vehicle telematics data). The corrective actionmay be to reconstruct, via the one or more processors, a series ofevents prior to, during, and/or after an insurance-related event after avirtual insurance claim is submitted via a customer mobile device.

In another aspect, a computer system configured to take correctiveaction based upon abnormal electricity usage within a home may beprovided. The system may include one or more processors, transceivers,sensors, and/or wireless Electricity Monitoring (EM) devices configuredto: (1) build a historic or an expected electricity usage, flow, and/orconsumption profile for a home and electric devices, the expectedelectricity usage, flow, and/or consumption profile includingday-of-week and time-of-day information, and may be based uponelectricity detected by the wireless Electricity Monitoring (EM) deviceover a period of time; (2) monitor, via the wireless EM device, currenthome and individual electric device/appliance electricity usage, flow,and/or consumption via the EM device, the EM device being an electric orelectronic component that wirelessly detects unique electric orelectronic signatures of each electric or electronic device beingpowered by the home's electricity or electrical system; (3) compare thecurrent electricity usage, flow, and/or consumption with the expectedelectricity usage, flow, and/or consumption to detect an abnormalelectricity usage or abnormal trend; and/or (4) when abnormalelectricity usage or trend is detected, take a corrective action tomitigate or prevent potential damage to the home or the electric devicesbeing monitored. The computer system may include additional, less, oralternate functionality, including that discussed elsewhere herein.

For instance, the corrective action may be to generate an electronic orvirtual message indicating abnormal electricity usage by an electric orelectronic device, and recommending maintenance or a type of replacementdevice; and/or transmit the electronic or virtual message to acustomer's mobile device via wireless communication or data transmissionover one or more radio links or communication channels. The abnormalelectricity usage or trend may indicate more or less persons areoccupying the home, and the system may be configured to update a homeoccupancy profile to indicate that the home is occupied by more or lesspersons. The abnormal electricity usage or trend may indicate more orless pets are occupying the home, and the system may be configured toupdate a home occupancy profile to indicate that the home is occupied bymore or less pets.

The abnormal electricity usage or trend may indicate more or lesspersons are occupying the home, and the system may be configured toupdate a risk profile for the insured, the home, personal articles, or avehicle to indicate that the home is occupied by more or less persons.

The corrective action may be to automatically de-energize an electric orelectronic device, generate an electronic or virtual message detailingthe event, and transmit the electronic or virtual message to acustomer's mobile device.

The corrective action may be to identify faulting components or devices,generate an electronic or virtual message detailing the event and faultycomponents or devices, and transmit the electronic or virtual message toa customer's mobile device asking whether the customer would like tode-energize the faulty components or devices identified.

The system may be configured to generate an insurance discount for aninsured that has a home equipped with the preventive or mitigativefunctionality discussed herein, including the EM device functionality.

The corrective action may be to identify a failing or faulty light bulb;generate an electronic or virtual message indicating the failing orfaulty light bulb; and/or transmit the electronic or virtual message toa customer's mobile device via wireless communication or datatransmission over one or more radio links or communication channels.

The corrective action may be to identify an electric device to turn onor off; generate an electronic or virtual message indicating theelectric device recommended to be turned on or off; and/or transmit theelectronic or virtual message to a customer's mobile device via wirelesscommunication or data transmission over one or more radio links orcommunication channels for their review and/or approval.

The corrective action may be to identify an electric device to turn onor off; turn the electronic device on or off; generate an electronic orvirtual message indicating the electric device turned on or off; and/ortransmit the electronic or virtual message to a customer's mobile devicevia wireless communication or data transmission over one or more radiolinks or communication channels for their review.

The corrective action may be to notify an EMS provider of an event, anda GPS location or street address of the home. The corrective action maybe to open one or more breakers supplying electricity to the home andelectronic devices therein. The corrective action may be to send avirtual notification to a customer mobile device indicating an event orabnormal electricity flow has been detected.

The corrective action may be to reconstruct a series of events prior to,during, and/or after an insurance-related event is detected and/orverified using other types of data (such as home or vehicle telematicsdata). The corrective action may be to reconstruct a series of eventsprior to, during, and/or after an insurance-related event after avirtual insurance claim is submitted via a customer mobile device.

Exemplary Home Occupancy Determinations & Profile Updates

Generally, electrical activity about a structure (e.g., a home) may bemonitored via an electricity monitoring (EM) device to determine anoccupancy or average occupancy of the structure. The EM device maymonitor electrical activity, and monitored electrical activity may becorrelated with respective electric devices about the structure byutilizing a unique electrical signature that exists for each respectivedevice. Based at least upon the correlated activity, an occupancyaverage occupancy of the structure may be determined.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary computer-implemented method 500 of usingelectricity flow and usage data collected by a wireless EM device tobuild or update a home occupancy profile. The method 500 may beperformed, for example, by the system 100 of FIG. 1 , the system 200 ofFIG. 2 , another suitable system, or some combination thereof. Themethod 500 may include monitoring electricity flow, usage, andconsumption data associated with a home and/or individual electricdevices within the home (block 502). The electricity flow, usage, andconsumption may be monitored directly by a wireless EM device, and/orindirectly via a smart home controller, or a remote server, in wired orwireless communication with the EM device.

The method 500 may include receiving current electricity flow, usage,and consumption data for the home and/or individual electric devices(block 504). The EF data may be received at a remote server, such asreceived either directly from the wireless EM device and/or indirectlyfrom the smart home controller. Additionally or alternatively, the EFdata may be received and analyzed locally, such as at the smart homecontroller.

The method 500 may include determining an average home occupancy oroccupancy profile based upon (i) the EF data received, and (ii) otherdata, such as home telematics data, vehicle telematics data, mobiledevice telematics data, mobile device data, and/or wearable device data(block 506). The home telematics data, vehicle telematics data, mobiledevice telematics data, mobile device data, and/or wearable device datamay include, inter alia, image, infrared, sensor, and/or GPS data.Additionally or alternatively, an average home occupancy or occupancyprofile may be updated based upon the EF data received.

The method 500 may include (i) updating a home occupancy profile, and/or(ii) updating or adjusting home, auto, personal, and/or personalarticles risk profiles based upon the average home occupancy (block 508)determined based upon the EF data, and optionally in combination withother types of data, including home and vehicle telematics data.

The method 500 may include updating or generating home, auto, andpersonal articles insurance discounts based upon the average homeoccupancy and risk profiles updated based upon the EF data (block 510).The method 500 may include additional, less, or alternate actions,including those discussed elsewhere herein.

FIG. 6 depicts a computer-implemented method 600 for determiningoccupancy of a structure, such as a home. Generally, the method 600 maybe performed by the system 100 of FIG. 1 , by the system 200 of FIG. 2 ,by another suitable system, or by some suitable combination thereof.

The method 600 may include monitoring, via an electricity monitoringdevice, electrical activity comprising transmission of electricity viaan electrical distribution board to a plurality of electric devicesabout the structure (block 602). A device of the plurality of electricdevices may be, for example, any suitable electric device describedherein with regard to FIG. 2 , or otherwise described in this detaileddescription. A record of the monitored electrical activity may bestored, for example, at the EM device or at another system (e.g., aninsurance system or a smart controller of the structure).

The method 600 may also include correlating, via one or more processors,the electrical activity with respective electric devices of theplurality of electric devices receiving the transmitted electricity,based upon an electrical signature unique to each respective electricdevice (block 604). In other words, the electricity monitored at theelectrical distribution board by the EM device may be mapped to theindividual electric devices to which the electricity was transmitted.

The one or more processors may include one or more processors of the EMdevice. In other words, one or more processors of the EM device itselfmay perform at least some of the processor-implemented functionsdescribed herein. Additionally or alternatively, the one or moreprocessors may include one or more processors external to theelectricity monitoring device. In other words, the EM device maytransmit data and/or signals, via one or more processors of the EMdevice to another entity (e.g., an electricity provider entity or aninsurance entity) to report the monitored electrical activity, and atleast some processor-implemented functions described herein may beperformed by one or more processors of the other entity.

The method 600 may also include determining, via the one or moreprocessors, based at least upon the correlated electrical activity, anaverage occupancy of the structure (block 606). In other words, anaverage number of human or other occupants of the structure may bedetermined. An average occupancy of the structure may be, for example, amedian level of occupancy of the structure, a mode (most frequent) levelof occupancy, or a range of occupancy levels.

Average occupancy of the structure may be determined based at least inpart upon an electricity consumption (e.g., total, average, or frequencyof consumption) of one or more particular electric devices of theplurality of electric devices. For example, an average occupancy may bedetermined from an electricity consumption of an electric water heaterproviding hot water to occupants the structure, alone or combined withan average electricity consumption of a laundry washer within thestructure.

Additionally or alternative, average occupancy of the structure may bedetermined based at least in part upon overall electrical activity aboutthe structure. For example, average occupancy may be determined from anoverall (e.g., total or average) electricity consumption about thestructure (e.g., based on an estimated range of average electricityconsumption per human occupant in a typical or similar structure).

Additionally or alternative, determining the average occupancy mayinclude comparing the monitored or correlated electrical activity of thestructure to electrical activity of another structure that is similar tothe first structure (e.g., a structure of similar class, size,materials, or electrical system characteristics). The average occupancyof the first structure may be determined based at least in part upon aknown, determined, or estimated occupancy of the other structure.

Additionally or alternatively, average occupancy of the structure may bedetermined based in part upon telematics data originating from (i) avehicle of a party associated with the structure (ii) one or more smartelectric devices and/or a smart device controller of the structure,and/or (iii) a mobile device of a party (e.g., an occupant) associatedwith the structure. Thus, the method 600 may include receiving thetelematics data via the one or more processors and determining theaverage structure occupancy based at least in part upon the telematicsdata.

In some embodiments, the method 600 may further include updating, viathe one or more processors, a structure occupancy profile. For example,an insurance policy or profile of a party associated with the structuremay include an insurance structure occupancy profile indicating anaverage occupancy of the structure. The method 600 may include updatingthe occupancy profile to reflect the average occupancy determined basedupon the correlated electrical activity. Additionally or alternatively,the method 600 may include updating, via the one or more processors, arisk profile of the structure and/or a party associated with thestructure. For example, an insurance risk profile of a party associatedwith the structure may vary based upon the average occupancy of thestructure, and the insurance risk profile may be updated to reflect theaverage occupancy determined based upon the correlated electricalactivity.

In some embodiments, the method 600 may further include generating, viathe one or more processors, an insurance discount based upon the averagestructure occupancy. The insurance discount may be a discount of aninsurance policy for the structure itself and/or for a party associatedwith the structure (e.g., a homeowner). The discount may include, forexample, a discount of an insurance premium and/or an insurancedeductible. The method 600 may further include transmitting, via the oneor more processors, a notification of the insurance discount to a mobiledevice (e.g., a smartphone) of a party associated with the insurancepolicy.

Additional, fewer, or alternative functions to the method 600 arepossible. Additionally, one or more elements of the method 600 mayproceed in an order different from that depicted in FIG. 6 .

Updating Home Occupancy Profile & Risk Profiles

In one aspect, a computer-implemented method of determining homeoccupancy may be provided. The method may be performed, for example, bythe system 100 of FIG. 1 , the system 200 of FIG. 2 , another suitablesystem, or some combination thereof. The method may include (1)monitoring, via a wireless Electricity Monitoring (EM) device (which mayinclude one or more processors, sensors, and/or transceivers), (i)current home electricity usage, flow, and/or consumption, and/or (ii)current individual electric device/appliance electricity usage, flow,and/or consumption, the EM device configured to wirelessly detect uniqueelectric signatures of each electric device being powered via the home'selectrical system; (2) receiving, via one or more processors and/ortransceivers, data indicative of (i) current home electricity usage,flow, and/or consumption, and/or (ii) current individual electricdevice/appliance electricity usage, flow, and/or consumption from the EMdevice via wireless communication or data transmission over one or moreradio links or communication channels; (3) determining, via one or moreprocessors, an average amount of home occupancy (such as for a period oftime) based upon the (i) current home electricity usage, flow, and/orconsumption, and/or (ii) current individual electric device/applianceelectricity usage, flow, and/or consumption (such as comparing actualhome or appliance electricity usage, flow, and/or consumption withhistoric or expected electricity usage, flow, and/or consumption for ahome presently occupied by one or more persons); (4) updating, via theone or more processors, (i) a home occupancy profile, or (ii) a riskprofile for the home (or for the home owner, or a vehicle associatedwith the home) based upon the average amount of home occupancy; and/or(5) updating, via the one or more processors, an insurance discount forthe home or insured home owner based upon the home occupancy profileand/or risk profile to facilitate providing insurance discounts to riskaverse home owners or households. The method may include additional,less, or alternate actions, including those discussed elsewhere herein.

For instance, the method may include receiving, via one or moreprocessors and/or transceivers, home telematics data; and combining, viathe one or more processors, the home telematics data with the dataindicative of (i) current home electricity usage, flow, and/orconsumption, and/or (ii) current individual electric device/applianceelectricity usage, flow, and/or consumption generated by the EM device.The average amount of home occupancy determined by the one or moreprocessors may further take into account the combined data and/or thehome telematics data received.

The method may include receiving, via one or more processors and/ortransceivers, vehicle telematics data; and combining, via the one ormore processors, the vehicle telematics data with the data indicative of(i) current home electricity usage, flow, and/or consumption, and/or(ii) current individual electric device/appliance electricity usage,flow, and/or consumption generated by the EM device. The average amountof home occupancy determined by the one or more processors may furthertake into account the combined data and/or the vehicle telematics datareceived, including image, infrared, and/or GPS data.

The method may include receiving, via one or more processors and/ortransceivers, mobile device or wearable device data; and combining, viathe one or more processors, the mobile or wearable device data with thedata indicative of (i) current home electricity usage, flow, and/orconsumption, and/or (ii) current individual electric device/applianceelectricity usage, flow, and/or consumption generated by the EM device.The average amount of home occupancy determined by the one or moreprocessors may further take into account the combined data and/or themobile device or wearable device data received, including image,infrared, and/or GPS data.

The method may include generating, via the one or more processors, anelectronic or virtual message detailing the updated insurance discount;and transmitting, via the one or more processors and/or transceivers,the electronic or virtual message to a customer's mobile device fortheir review and/or approval.

In another aspect, a computer system configured to determine homeoccupancy may be provided. The computer system may include one or moreprocessors, sensors, transceivers, and/or wireless ElectricityMonitoring (EM) devices configured to: (1) monitor, via the wireless EMdevice, (i) current home electricity usage, flow, and/or consumption,and/or (ii) current individual electric device/appliance electricityusage, flow, and/or consumption, the EM device configured to wirelesslydetect unique electric signatures of each electric device being poweredvia the home's electrical system; (2) receive data indicative of (i)current home electricity usage, flow, and/or consumption, and/or (ii)current individual electric device/appliance electricity usage, flow,and/or consumption from the EM device via wireless communication or datatransmission over one or more radio links or communication channels; (3)determine an average amount of home occupancy (such as for a period oftime) based upon the (i) current home electricity usage, flow, and/orconsumption, and/or (ii) current individual electric device/applianceelectricity usage, flow, and/or consumption (such as comparing actualhome or appliance electricity usage, flow, and/or consumption withhistoric or expected electricity usage, flow, and/or consumption for ahome presently occupied by one or more persons); (4) update (i) a homeoccupancy profile, or (ii) a risk profile for the home (or for the homeowner, or vehicle associated with the home) based upon the averageamount of home occupancy; and/or (5) update an insurance discount forthe home or insured homeowner based upon the home occupancy profileand/or risk profile to facilitate providing insurance discount to riskaverse homeowners or households. The computer system may includeadditional, less, or alternate functionality, including that discussedelsewhere herein.

For instance, the system may be configured to: receive home telematicsdata; and combine the home telematics data with the data indicative of(i) current home electricity usage, flow, and/or consumption, and/or(ii) current individual electric device/appliance electricity usage,flow, and/or consumption generated by the EM device. The average amountof home occupancy determined by the one or more processors may furthertake into account the combined data and/or the home telematics datareceived, including infrared, image, and/or GPS data.

The system may be configured to: receive vehicle telematics data (suchas from an insured's vehicle or mobile device); and combine the vehicletelematics data with the data indicative of (i) current home electricityusage, flow, and/or consumption, and/or (ii) current individual electricdevice/appliance electricity usage, flow, and/or consumption generatedby the EM device. The average amount of home occupancy determined by theone or more processors may take into account the combined data and/orthe vehicle telematics data received, including infrared, image, and/orGPS data.

The computer system may be configured to: receive mobile device orwearable device data; and combine the mobile or wearable device datawith the data indicative of (i) current home electricity usage, flow,and/or consumption, and/or (ii) current individual electricdevice/appliance electricity usage, flow, and/or consumption generatedby the EM device. The average amount of home occupancy determined by theone or more processors may take into account the combined data and/orthe mobile device or wearable device data received.

The system may be configured to generate an electronic or virtualmessage detailing the updated insurance discount; and transmit theelectronic or virtual message to a customer's mobile device for theirreview and/or approval.

Buildup or Fraud Detection

Generally, electrical activity about a structure (e.g., a home) may bemonitored via an electricity monitoring (EM) device to verify anelectrical event about the structure (e.g., determine the veracity of aninsurance claim by identifying whether buildup or fraud has occurred).The EM device may monitor electrical activity, and monitored electricalactivity may be correlated with respective electric devices about thestructure by utilizing a unique electrical signature that exists foreach respective device. An indication of an insurance claim may bereceived, wherein the insurance claim claims damage to one or more ofthe electric devices or to the structure as a whole. The correlatedelectrical activity may be analyzed (e.g., specifically with regard toclaimed device(s) to determine whether or not the claimed damageoccurred, thus determining the veracity of the insurance claim.

FIG. 7 depicts a computer-implemented method 700 for determiningoccupancy of a structure, such as a home. Generally, the method 700 maybe performed by the system 100 of FIG. 1 , by the system 200 of FIG. 2 ,by another suitable system, or by some suitable combination thereof.

The method 700 may include monitoring, via an electricity monitoringdevice, during a first period of time, electrical activity comprisingtransmission of electricity via an electrical distribution board to aplurality of electric devices about the structure (block 702). A deviceof the plurality of electric devices may be, for example, any suitableelectric device described herein with regard to FIG. 2 , or otherwisedescribed in this detailed description. A record of the monitoredelectrical activity may be stored, for example, at the EM device or atanother system (e.g., an insurance system or a smart controller of thestructure).

The method 700 may also include correlating, via one or more processors,the electrical activity with respective electric devices of theplurality of electric devices receiving the transmitted electricity,based upon an electrical signature unique to each respective electricdevice (block 704). In other words, the electricity monitored at theelectrical distribution board by the EM device may be mapped to theindividual electric devices to which the electricity was transmitted.

The one or more processors may include one or more processors of the EMdevice. In other words, one or more processors of the EM device itselfmay perform at least some of the processor-implemented functionsdescribed herein. Additionally or alternatively, the one or moreprocessors may include one or more processors external to theelectricity monitoring device. In other words, the EM device maytransmit data and/or signals, via one or more processors of the EMdevice to another entity (e.g., an electricity provider entity or aninsurance entity) to report the monitored electrical activity, and atleast some processor-implemented functions described herein may beperformed by one or more processors of the other entity.

The method 700 may also include receiving, via the one or moreprocessors, an indication of an insurance claim associated with claimeddamage to the structure or to one or more claimed devices of theplurality of electric devices (block 706). The indication of theinsurance claim may be received, for example, via a mobile device of aparty (e.g., a claimant) associated with the insurance claim, from aninsurance entity (e.g., an insurance claim processing system), and/orfrom another suitable source. The insurance claim may claim damage to ora defect of one or more electric devices of the plurality of electricdevices. Additionally or alternatively, the insurance claim may claimdamage to another part of the structure (e.g., damage to a roof, floor,or furniture), which may be claimed to have been directly or indirectlycaused by an activity or malfunction or an electric device, and/or byanother direct or indirect cause.

The method 700 may also include analyzing, via the one or moreprocessors, the correlated electrical activity device to determinewhether the claimed damage devices occurred (block 708).

In the case of claimed damage to a particular electric device, themethod 700 may include analyzing correlated electrical activity specificto the particular electric device claimed to be damaged. For example, ifthe claimed damage includes a claim of complete loss of functionality ofa laundry washer, the method 700 may include analyzing electricalactivity correlated with the washer to determine if the washer drewpower consistent with a normal wash cycle. If the washer conductednormal wash cycles at a time after the washer was claimed to not befunctional (i.e., the washer actually is functional), potentialinsurance fraud may be determined.

In the case of claimed damage to the structure beyond the electricdevices (i.e., a non-electric object or a wall, floor, roof, etc. of thestructure), the method 700 may still include analyzing the correlatedelectrical activity. For example, if the insurance claim indicates thatthe damage was caused directly or indirectly by some activity ormalfunction of an oven (e.g., fire or smoke damage near the oven), themethod 700 may include analyzing electrical activity correlated with theoven to determine whether the oven's electrical activity at the time ofthe claimed damage was consistent with the claim and/or the damage.

In any case, the method 700 may further include determining a cause ofthe claimed damage, when the damage is determined to have occurred.Determining a cause of the claimed damage of an electric device mayinclude correlating the claimed damage to abnormal electrical activityassociated with the electric device, and determining a cause of theabnormal electrical activity.

The method 700 may also include determining, via the one or moreprocessors, a veracity of the insurance claim, based at least uponwhether the claimed damage occurred (block 710). Determining a veracityof the insurance claim may further include determining whether a causeof the claimed damage as indicated by the claim is consistent with thecause of the damage as determined via the one or more processors.

In some embodiments, the method 700 may further include processing, viathe one or more processors, the insurance claim when the insurance claimis verified. Processing the insurance claim may, for example, includeissuing monetary compensation to a party associated with the claim,issuing a replacement electric device, updating an insurance policyassociated with the claim, etc.

In some embodiments, the method 700 may further include (i) determining,via the one or more processors, a replacement device to replace at leastone of the claimed devices; (ii) generating, via the one or moreprocessors, a virtual message indicating the replacement device; and/or(iii) transmitting, via the one or more processors, the virtual messageto a mobile device (e.g., a smartphone) of a party (e.g., a claimantand/or a homeowner) associated with the structure. A replacement devicemay be determined based upon, for example, product ratings, userratings, and/or similarity of the replacement device to the claimeddevice.

Additional, fewer, or alternative functions to the method 700 arepossible. Additionally, one or more elements of the method 700 mayproceed in an order different from that depicted in FIG. 7 . Forexample, electrical activity may be monitored and/or correlated afterreceipt of the indication of the insurance claim.

In another aspect, a computer-implemented method of detecting buildup orinsurance claim fraud may be provided. The method may be performed, forexample, by the system 100 of FIG. 1 , the system 200 of FIG. 2 ,another suitable system, or some combination thereof. The method mayinclude (1) receiving, via one or more processors and/or transceivers,an insurance claim associated with damage to an electric or electronicdevice or appliance within an insured home (such as via wirelesscommunication or data transmission over one or more radio links orcommunication channels); (2) receiving, via one or more processorsand/or transceivers, electricity usage, flow, and/or consumption dataassociated the electric or electronic device or appliance (such as viawireless communication or data transmission over one or more radio linksor communication channels), the electricity usage, flow, and/orconsumption data being gather and collected by a wireless ElectricityMonitoring (EM) device; (3) verifying, via the one or more processors,(i) damage to the electric or electronic device or appliance hasoccurred, and/or (ii) a make and model of the electric or electronicdevice or appliance based upon the electricity usage, flow, and/orconsumption data generated or collected by the wireless EM device;and/or (4) processing, via the one or more processors, the insuranceclaim after the damage and/or the type of electric or electronicdevice/appliance is verified based upon the electricity usage, flow,and/or consumption data generated and/or collected by the wireless EMdevice to facilitate reducing buildup or insurance claim fraud, andpassing insurance cost savings on to average consumers.

The method may include selecting one or more replacement appliances ordevices, via the one or more processors, based upon product ratings orcustomer reviews; generating, via the one or more processors, a virtualmessage detailing the recommended replacement appliances or devices;and/or transmitting, via the one or more processors and/or transceivers,the virtual message to the customer's mobile device for customer reviewand to facilitate replacing malfunctioning appliances and devices. Themethod may include additional, less, or alternate functionality,including that discussed elsewhere herein.

In another aspect, a computer system configured to detect buildup orinsurance claim fraud may be provided. The computer system may includeone or more processors, sensors, transceivers, and/or wirelessElectricity Monitoring (EM) devices configured to: (1) receive aninsurance claim associated with damage to an electric or electronicdevice or appliance within an insured home (such as via wirelesscommunication or data transmission over one or more radio links orcommunication channels); (2) receive electricity usage, flow, and/orconsumption data associated the electric or electronic device orappliance (such as via wireless communication or data transmission overone or more radio links or communication channels), the electricityusage, flow, and/or consumption data being gathered and collected by awireless Electricity Monitoring (EM) device; (3) verify (i) damage tothe electric or electronic device or appliance has occurred, and/or (ii)a make and model of the electric or electronic device or appliance basedupon the electricity usage, flow, and/or consumption data generated orcollected by the wireless EM device; and/or (4) process the insuranceclaim after the damage or the type of electric or electronicdevice/appliance is verified based upon the electricity usage, flow,and/or consumption data collected by the wireless EM device tofacilitate reducing buildup or insurance claim fraud, and passinginsurance cost savings on to average consumers.

The system may be configured to: select one or more replacementappliances or devices based upon product ratings or customer reviews;generate a virtual message detailing the recommended replacementappliances or devices; and/or transmit the virtual message to thecustomer's mobile device for customer review and to facilitate replacingmalfunctioning appliances and devices. The system may includeadditional, less, or alternate functionality, including that discussedelsewhere herein.

Risk Estimation & Insurance Quote Generation

Generally, electrical activity about a structure (e.g., a home) may bemonitored via an electricity monitoring (EM) device to determine riskassociated with electric devices about the structure. The EM device maymonitor electrical activity, and monitored electrical activity may becorrelated with respective electric devices about the structure byutilizing a unique electrical signature that exists for each respectivedevice. Based upon at least the correlated electrical activity, a levelof risk associated with the structure may be determined, and one or moreterms of an insurance quote or policy may be generated based at leastupon the estimated risk.

FIG. 8 depicts a computer-implemented method 800 for determining riskassociated with a structure, such as a home. Generally, the method 800may be performed by the system 100 of FIG. 1 , by the system 200 of FIG.2 , by another suitable system, or by some suitable combination thereof.

The method 800 may include receiving, via one or more processors, anindication of a request for an insurance quote associated with thestructure (block 802). The indication of the request for the insurancequote may be received, for example, via a mobile device (e.g., asmartphone) or another computing device of a party requesting the quote(e.g., a potential policyholder). Additionally or alternatively, theindication of the insurance quote may be received from a computingdevice of an insurance entity.

The method 800 may also include monitoring, via an electricitymonitoring device, electrical activity comprising transmission ofelectricity via an electrical distribution board to a plurality ofelectric devices about the structure (block 804). A device of theplurality of electric devices may be, for example, any suitable electricdevice described herein with regard to FIG. 2 , or otherwise describedin this detailed description. A record of the monitored electricalactivity may be stored, for example, at the EM device or at anothersystem (e.g., an insurance system or a smart controller of thestructure).

The method 800 may also include correlating, via the one or moreprocessors, the electrical activity with respective electric devices ofthe plurality of electric devices receiving the transmitted electricity,based upon an electrical signature unique to each respective electricdevice (block 806). In other words, the electricity monitored at theelectrical distribution board by the EM device may be mapped to theindividual electric devices to which the electricity was transmitted.

The one or more processors may include one or more processors of the EMdevice. In other words, one or more processors of the EM device itselfmay perform at least some of the processor-implemented functionsdescribed herein. Additionally or alternatively, the one or moreprocessors may include one or more processors external to theelectricity monitoring device. In other words, the EM device maytransmit data and/or signals, via one or more processors of the EMdevice to another entity (e.g., an electricity provider entity or aninsurance entity) to report the monitored electrical activity, and atleast some processor-implemented functions described herein may beperformed by one or more processors of the other entity.

The method 800 may also include estimating, via the one or moreprocessors, based at least upon the correlated electrical activity, alevel of risk associated with the structure (block 808). The level ofrisk associated with the structure may include a level of riskassociated with one or more particular electric devices about thestructure. For example, the level of risk may be estimated based uponthe risk of malfunction or other abnormal electrical activity of aparticular electric device, and/or an extent of damage that may becaused by the particular electric device if the malfunction were tooccur. Additionally or alternatively, the level of risk may beassociated with an overall risk of the structure, based at least in partupon the one or more electrical devices therein.

The method 800 may also include generating, via the one or moreprocessors, based at least upon the estimated level of risk, one or moreterms of an insurance quote associated with the structure (block 810).The one or more terms may include, for example, an insurance premium, aninsurance coverage, and/or an insurance deductible.

In some embodiments, the one or more terms of the insurance quote may begenerated further based upon structure telematics data pertaining to thestructure (e.g., smart appliance or smart controller data therein),and/or based upon vehicle telematics data of a vehicle of a partyassociated with the insurance quote (e.g., a vehicle owned by apotential policyholder).

In some embodiments, the method 800 may further include (i) generating,via the one or more processors, a virtual message detailing one or moreterms of the insurance quote, and/or (ii) transmitting, via the one ormore processors, the virtual message to a mobile device of a partyassociated with the insurance quote. The virtual message may include anindication of the level of risk associated with the structure.

Additional, fewer, or alternative functions to the method 800 arepossible. Additionally, one or more elements of the method 800 mayproceed in an order different from that depicted in FIG. 8 . Forexample, the indication of the request for the insurance quote may bereceived after the electrical activity monitoring and/or the correlationof the electrical activity.

In another aspect, a computer-implemented method of estimating risk fora home may be provided. The method may include (1) receiving, via one ormore processors and/or transceivers, a request for an insurance quotefor home from a customer mobile device (such as via wirelesscommunication or data transmission over one or more radio links orcommunication channels); (2) receiving, via one or more processorsand/or transceivers, electricity usage, flow, and/or consumption dataassociated the home, including electricity usage, flow, and/orconsumption data of electronic or electric devices or appliances withinthe home (such as via wireless communication or data transmission overone or more radio links or communication channels), the electricityusage, flow, and/or consumption data being gathered and/or collected bya wireless Electricity Monitoring (EM) device; (3) estimating ordetermining, via the one or more processors, (i) a level of riskassociated with individual electronic or electric devices or applianceswithin the home, and/or (ii) an overall level of risk for the home basedupon the electricity usage, flow, and/or consumption data sensed,gathered, generated, and/or collected by the wireless EM device; and/or(4) generating, via the one or more processors, a homeowners or rentersinsurance quote based upon the (i) level of risk associated withindividual electronic or electric devices or appliances within the home,and/or (ii) overall level of risk for the home determined from theelectricity usage, flow, and/or consumption data generated and/orcollected by the wireless EM device; and/or (5) transmitting, via theone or more processors, the insurance quote to the customer's mobiledevice to facilitate rewarding risk averse customers with lowerinsurance premiums, more accurately matching insurance price to actualrisk, and/or enhancing the online customer experience. The method mayinclude additional, less, or alternate actions, including thosediscussed elsewhere herein.

In another aspect, a computer system configured to estimate risk for ahome may be provided. The system may include one or more processors,sensors, transceivers, and/or wireless Electricity Monitoring devicesconfigured to: (1) receive a request for an insurance quote for a homefrom a customer mobile device (such as via wireless communication ordata transmission over one or more radio links or communicationchannels); (2) receive electricity usage, flow, and/or consumption dataassociated the home, including electricity usage, flow, and/orconsumption data of electronic or electric devices or appliances withinthe home (such as via wireless communication or data transmission overone or more radio links or communication channels), the electricityusage, flow, and/or consumption data being gathered, generated, and/orcollected by a wireless Electricity Monitoring (EM) device; (3) estimateor determine (i) a level of risk associated with individual electronicor electric devices or appliances within the home, and/or (ii) anoverall level of risk for the home based upon the electricity usage,flow, and/or consumption data gathered, generated, and/or collected bythe wireless EM device; (4) generate a homeowners or renters insurancequote based upon the (i) level of risk associated with individualelectronic or electric devices or appliances within the home, and/or(ii) overall level of risk for the home determined from the electricityusage, flow, and/or consumption data generated and/or collected by thewireless EM device; and/or (5) transmit the insurance quote to thecustomer's mobile device to facilitate rewarding risk averse customerswith lower insurance premiums, more accurately matching insurance priceto actual risk, and/or enhancing the online customer experience. Thesystem may include additional, less, or alternate functionality,including that discussed elsewhere herein.

Risk Estimation & Home Loan Term Determination

Generally, electrical activity about a home may be monitored via anelectricity monitoring (EM) device to determine risk associated withelectric devices about the home. The EM device may monitor electricalactivity, and monitored electrical activity may be correlated withrespective electric devices about the home by utilizing a uniqueelectrical signature that exists for each respective device. Based uponat least the correlated electrical activity, a level of risk associatedwith the home may be determined, and one or more terms of a home loanmay be generated based at least upon the estimated risk.

FIG. 9 depicts a computer-implemented method 900 for determining riskassociated with a home. Generally, the method 900 may be performed bythe system 100 of FIG. 1 , by the system 200 of FIG. 2 , by anothersuitable system, or by some suitable combination thereof.

The method 900 may include receiving, via one or more processors, anindication of a request for a home loan associated with the home (block902). The indication of the request for the home loan may be received,for example, via a mobile device (e.g., a smartphone) or anothercomputing device of a party requesting the home loan (e.g., a potentialpolicyholder). Additionally or alternatively, the indication of the homeloan may be received from a computing device of a financial entity.

The method 900 may also include monitoring, via an electricitymonitoring device, electrical activity comprising transmission ofelectricity via an electrical distribution board to a plurality ofelectric devices about the home (block 904). A device of the pluralityof electric devices may be, for example, any suitable electric devicedescribed herein with regard to FIG. 2 , or otherwise described in thisdetailed description. A record of the monitored electrical activity maybe stored, for example, at the EM device or at another system (e.g., afinancial system or a smart controller of the home).

The method 900 may also include correlating, via the one or moreprocessors, the electrical activity with respective electric devices ofthe plurality of electric devices receiving the transmitted electricity,based upon an electrical signature unique to each respective electricdevice (block 906). In other words, the electricity monitored at theelectrical distribution board by the EM device may be mapped to theindividual electric devices to which the electricity was transmitted.

The one or more processors may include one or more processors of the EMdevice. In other words, one or more processors of the EM device itselfmay perform at least some of the processor-implemented functionsdescribed herein. Additionally or alternatively, the one or moreprocessors may include one or more processors external to theelectricity monitoring device. In other words, the EM device maytransmit data and/or signals, via one or more processors of the EMdevice to another entity (e.g., an electricity provider entity or afinancial entity) to report the monitored electrical activity, and atleast some processor-implemented functions described herein may beperformed by one or more processors of the other entity.

The method 900 may also include estimating, via the one or moreprocessors, based at least upon the correlated electrical activity, alevel of risk associated with the home (block 908). The level of riskassociated with the home may include a level of risk associated with oneor more particular electric devices about the home. For example, thelevel of risk may be estimated based upon the risk of malfunction orother abnormal electrical activity of a particular electric device,and/or an extent of damage that may be caused by the particular electricdevice if the malfunction were to occur. Additionally or alternatively,the level of risk may be associated with an overall risk of the home,based at least in part upon the one or more electrical devices therein.

The method 900 may also include generating, via the one or moreprocessors, based at least upon the estimated level of risk, one or moreterms of a home loan associated with the home (block 910). The one ormore terms of the home loan may include, for example, a length of theloan, an interest rate, and/or a monthly payment.

In some embodiments, the one or more terms of the home loan may begenerated further based upon home telematics data pertaining to the home(e.g., smart appliance or smart controller data therein), and/or basedupon vehicle telematics data of a vehicle of a party associated with thehome loan (e.g., a vehicle owned by a potential policyholder).

In some embodiments, the method 900 may further include (i) generating,via the one or more processors, a virtual message detailing one or moreterms of the home loan, and/or (ii) transmitting, via the one or moreprocessors, the virtual message to a mobile device of a party associatedwith the home loan. The virtual message may include an indication of thelevel of risk associated with the home.

Additional, fewer, or alternative functions to the method 900 arepossible. Additionally, one or more elements of the method 900 mayproceed in an order different from that depicted in FIG. 9 . Forexample, the indication of the request for the home loan may be receivedafter the electrical activity monitoring and/or the correlation of theelectrical activity. Further, while a home and terms of a home loan aredescribed herein, the home may, in some embodiments, be another type ofstructure (e.g., a business or office building).

In another aspect, a computer-implemented method of estimating risk fora home and/or determining terms for a home loan may be provided. Themethod may include (1) receiving, via one or more processors and/ortransceivers, a request for a home loan quote for a home from a customermobile device (such as via wireless communication or data transmissionover one or more radio links or communication channels); (2) receiving,via one or more processors and/or transceivers, electricity usage, flow,and/or consumption data associated the home, including electricityusage, flow, and/or consumption data of electronic or electric devicesor appliances within the home (such as via wireless communication ordata transmission over one or more radio links or communicationchannels), the electricity usage, flow, and/or consumption data beinggathered, generated, and/or collected by a wireless ElectricityMonitoring (EM) device; (3) estimating or determining, via the one ormore processors, (i) a level of risk associated with individualelectronic or electric devices or appliances within the home, and/or(ii) an overall level of risk for the home based upon the electricityusage, flow, and/or consumption data gathered, generated, and/orcollected by the wireless EM device; and/or (4) generating, via the oneor more processors, a home loan quote (and/or terms thereof) based uponthe (i) level of risk associated with individual electronic or electricdevices or appliances within the home, and/or (ii) overall level of riskfor the home determined from the electricity usage, flow, and/orconsumption data generated, gathered, and/or collected by the wirelessEM device; and/or (5) transmitting, via the one or more processors, thehome loan quote to the customer's mobile device to facilitate moreaccurately priced home loan products based upon actual risk, providingrisk averse customers with insurance-cost savings, and/or enhancing theonline customer experience. The method may include additional, less, oralternate actions, including those discussed elsewhere herein.

In another aspect, a computer-implemented method of estimating risk fora home and/or determining terms for a home loan may be provided. Themethod may include (1) receiving, via one or more processors and/ortransceivers, electricity usage, flow, and/or consumption dataassociated the home, including electricity usage, flow, and/orconsumption data of electronic or electric devices or appliances withinthe home (such as via wireless communication or data transmission overone or more radio links or communication channels), the electricityusage, flow, and/or consumption data being gathered and collected by awireless Electricity Monitoring (EM) device; (2) detecting, via the oneor more processors, degradation of one or more individual electronic orelectric devices or appliances within the home based upon theelectricity usage, flow, and/or consumption data gathered, generated,and/or collected by the wireless EM device; (3) determining, via the oneor more processors, a level of severity of the degradation of anindividual electronic or electric device or appliance within the homebased upon the electricity usage, flow, and/or consumption datagathered, generated, and/or collected by the wireless EM device; (4)determining, via the one or more processors, a corrective action torepair or replace the individual electronic or electric device orappliance; and/or (5) communicating or otherwise transmitting, via theone or more processors, an indication of the corrective action to thecustomer's mobile device to facilitate preventing or mitigating risk ofhome or electric device damage due to faulty or failing electronicdevices or appliances. The method may include additional, less, oralternate actions, including those discussed elsewhere herein.

In another aspect, a computer system configured to estimate risk for ahome and/or determine terms for a home loan may be provided. The systemmay include one or more processors, sensors, transceivers, and/orwireless Electricity Monitoring (EM) devices configured to: (1) receivea request for a home loan quote for a home from a customer mobile device(such as via wireless communication or data transmission over one ormore radio links or communication channels); (2) receive electricityusage, flow, and/or consumption data associated the home, includingelectricity usage, flow, and/or consumption data of electronic orelectric devices or appliances within the home (such as via wirelesscommunication or data transmission over one or more radio links orcommunication channels), the electricity usage, flow, and/or consumptiondata being gathered, generated, and/or collected by a wirelessElectricity Monitoring (EM) device; (3) estimate or determine (i) alevel of risk associated with individual electronic or electric devicesor appliances within the home, and/or (ii) an overall level of risk forthe home based upon the electricity usage, flow, and/or consumption datagathered, generated, and/or collected by the wireless EM device; (4)generate a home loan quote (and/or terms thereof) based upon the (i)level of risk associated with individual electronic or electric devicesor appliances within the home, and/or (ii) overall level of risk for thehome determined from the electricity usage, flow, and/or consumptiondata collected by the wireless EM device; and/or (5) transmit the homeloan quote to the customer's mobile device to facilitate more accuratelypriced home loan products based upon actual risk, providing risk aversecustomers with insurance-cost savings, and/or enhancing the onlinecustomer experience. The system may include additional, less, oralternate functionality, including that discussed elsewhere herein.

In another aspect, a computer system configured to estimate risk for ahome and/or determining terms for a home loan may be provided. Thesystem may include one or more processors, sensors, transceivers, and/orwireless Electricity Monitoring (EM) devices configured to: (1) receive,via one or more processors and/or transceivers, electricity usage, flow,and/or consumption data associated the home, including electricityusage, flow, and/or consumption data of electronic or electric devicesor appliances within the home (such as via wireless communication ordata transmission over one or more radio links or communicationchannels), the electricity usage, flow, and/or consumption data beinggathered, generated, and/or collected by a wireless ElectricityMonitoring (EM) device; (2) detect degradation of one or more individualelectronic or electric devices or appliances within the home based uponthe electricity usage, flow, and/or consumption data gathered,generated, and/or collected by the wireless EM device; (3) determine alevel or severity of the degradation of an individual electronic orelectric device or appliance within the home based upon the electricityusage, flow, and/or consumption data gathered, generated, and/orcollected by the wireless EM device; (4) determine a corrective actionto repair or replace the individual electronic or electric device orappliance; and/or (5) communicate or otherwise transmit an indication ofthe corrective action to the customer's mobile device to facilitatepreventing or mitigating risk of home or device damage due to faulty orfailing electronic devices or appliances. The system may includeadditional, less, or alternate functionality, including that discussedelsewhere herein.

Verify Home Occupied at Time of Fire to Rule Out Arson

Generally, electrical activity about a structure (e.g., a home) may bemonitored via an electricity monitoring (EM) device to reconstruct anevent associated with damage to the structure. The EM device may monitorelectrical activity, and monitored electrical activity may be correlatedwith respective electric devices about the structure by utilizing aunique electrical signature that exists for each respective device.Based upon the correlated electrical activity, a structure electricalprofile may be built, and the profile may depict, for example, averageelectricity operation/usage, baseline electricity operation/usage,and/or expected electricity operation/usage/consumption. In effect, thestructure electrical profile, based upon real electrical activity aboutthe structure, may set forth what is “normal” operation and usage ofelectricity about the structure. An indication of an insurance claim maybe received, and electrical activity at the time of claimed damage maybe compared with the structure electrical profile to determine whetherthe damage occurred voluntarily or involuntarily.

FIG. 10 depicts a computer-implemented method 1000 for reconstructing anevent associated with damage to a structure, such as a home. Generally,the method 1000 may be performed by the system 100 of FIG. 1 , by thesystem 200 of FIG. 2 , by another suitable system, or by some suitablecombination thereof.

The method 1000 may include monitoring, via an electricity monitoringdevice, electrical activity comprising transmission of electricity viaan electrical distribution board to a plurality of electric devicesabout the structure (block 1002). A device of the plurality of electricdevices may be, for example, any suitable electric device describedherein with regard to FIG. 2 , or otherwise described in this detaileddescription. A record of the monitored electrical activity may bestored, for example, at the EM device or at another system (e.g., aninsurance system or a smart controller of the structure).

The method 1000 may also include correlating, via one or moreprocessors, the electrical activity with respective electric devices ofthe plurality of electric devices receiving the transmitted electricity,based upon an electrical signature unique to each respective electricdevice (block 1004). In other words, the electricity monitored at theelectrical distribution board by the EM device may be mapped to theindividual electric devices to which the electricity was transmitted.

The one or more processors may include one or more processors of the EMdevice. In other words, one or more processors of the EM device itselfmay perform at least some of the processor-implemented functionsdescribed herein. Additionally or alternatively, the one or moreprocessors may include one or more processors external to theelectricity monitoring device. In other words, the EM device maytransmit data and/or signals, via one or more processors of the EMdevice to another entity (e.g., an electricity provider entity or aninsurance entity) to report the monitored electrical activity, and atleast some processor-implemented functions described herein may beperformed by one or more processors of the other entity.

The method 1000 may also include building, via the one or moreprocessors, based at least upon the correlated electrical activity, astructure electrical profile including, for each respective electricdevice, data indicative of operation of the respective electric device(block 1006).

Operation data of electric devices may include, for example, historical,average, expected, or baseline electricity consumption by one or more ofthe electric devices about the structure, as described herein withregard to FIG. 2 . Further, the structure electrical profile mayinclude, for example, electricity consumption data pertaining to thestructure as a whole, as described wherein with regard to FIG. 2 . Thestructure electrical profile may include additional or alternativeprofile data regarding the structure and/or the electric devicesthereabouts, including any profile data described in this detaileddescription. The structure electrical profile may be stored at acomputer memory of the EM device or at another system (e.g., aninsurance system, or a smart home controller).

During and/or after the correlation of the electrical activity and/orthe building of the structure electrical profile (as described above),the electricity monitoring device may continue to monitor electricalactivity about the structure.

The method 1000 may also include receiving, via the one or moreprocessors, an indication of an insurance claim associated with claimeddamage to the structure (block 1008). The indication of the insuranceclaim may be received, for example, via a mobile device of a party(e.g., a claimant) associated with the insurance claim, from aninsurance entity (e.g., an insurance claim processing system), and/orfrom another suitable source. The insurance claim may claim damage to ora defect of one or more electric devices of the plurality of electricdevices. Additionally or alternatively, the insurance claim may claimdamage to another part of the structure (e.g., damage to a roof, floor,or furniture), which may be claimed to have been directly or indirectlycaused by an activity or malfunction or an electric device, and/or byanother direct or indirect cause.

The method 1000 may also include identifying, via the one or moreprocessors, a subset of the electrical activity occurring during orshortly before the time at which the claimed damage is claimed to haveoccurred (block 1010). In other words, the monitored electrical activitymay be narrowed down to a specific time of concern in order toreconstruct electrical events around the time of the claimed damage. Thesubset of electrical activity may correspond to a time of electricalactivity monitoring before, during, and/or after the building of thestructure electrical profile.

The method 1000 may also include comparing, via the one or moreprocessors, the subset of the electrical activity with the structureelectrical profile to determine whether the claimed damage occurredinvoluntarily or voluntarily (block 1012).

For instance, the claimed damage may include a fire damage and/or smokedamage, and the subset of the electrical activity may be compared withthe structure electrical profile to determine a comparative amount ofelectricity consumption about the structure around the time of theclaimed damage. Effectively, an occupancy of the structure as indicatedby the subset of electrical activity may be compared to an expected,average, or baseline structure occupancy as indicated by the structureelectrical profile, thus potentially indicating whether the home wasoccupied at the time of the fire. Based on the indication, it may bedetermined whether the fire occurred involuntarily, or was the result ofvoluntary.

In some embodiments, comparing the subset of the electrical activitywith the structure electrical profile may include comparing operation ofa particular device of the plurality of electric devices indicated bythe subset of the electrical activity to an expected operation of theparticular device indicated by the structure electrical profile. As anexample, comparing the subset of the electrical activity with thestructure electrical profile may provide an indication of whether anelectric device, such as a television, exhibited electrical activityconsistent with voluntary tampering, instead of involuntary damage.

In some embodiments, the method 1000 may further include processing, viathe one or more processors, the insurance claim in response todetermining that the damage occurred involuntarily. Processing theinsurance claim may, for example, include issuing monetary compensationto a party associated with the claim, issuing a replacement electricdevice, updating an insurance policy associated with the claim, etc.

Additional, fewer, or alternative functions to the method 1000 arepossible. Additionally, one or more elements of the method 1000 mayproceed in an order different from that depicted in FIG. 10 .

In another aspect, a computer-implemented method of verifying aninsurance claim may be provided. The method may include (1) building,via one or more processors, a historic or an expected electricity usage,flow, and/or consumption profile for a home, the expected electricityusage, flow, and/or consumption profile including day-of-week andtime-of-day information, and may be based upon electricity usage, flow,and/or consumption detected by a wireless Electricity Monitor (EM)device (which may include one or more processors, sensors, and/ortransceivers) over a period of time; (2) monitoring, via the wireless EMdevice, home and individual electronic or electric device/applianceelectricity usage, flow, and/or consumption before an insurance-relatedevent (such as an event that causes damage to the home or personalbelongings), the wireless EM device wirelessly detects unique electronicor electric signatures of each electronic or electronic device beingpowered by the home's electricity or electrical system; (3) receiving,via one or more processors and/or transceivers, an insurance claimassociated with damage to an insured home (such as via wirelesscommunication or data transmission over one or more radio links orcommunication channels); (4) comparing, via the one or more processors,the electricity usage, flow, and/or consumption before theinsurance-related event with the expected electricity usage, flow,and/or consumption to either (a) verify normal electricity usage, flow,and/or consumption data, or (b) detect an abnormal electricity usage,flow, and/or consumption prior to the insurance-related event—which mayindicate that (a) the home was occupied as expected, or (b)alternatively, to indicate that the home's occupancy increased ordecreased prior to the event; and/or (5) when the normal electricityusage, flow, and/or consumption is detected, via the one or moreprocessors, verifying the accuracy of the insurance claim to facilitateverifying a lack of buildup or insurance claim fraud promptly to enhancethe online customer experience and facilitate insurance claimprocessing. The method may include additional, less, or alternateactions, including those discussed elsewhere herein.

In another aspect, a computer system configured to verify an insuranceclaim may be provided. The system may include one or more processors,sensors, transceivers, and/or wireless Electricity Monitoring (EM)devices configured to: (1) generate or build a historic or an expectedelectricity usage, flow, and/or consumption profile for a home, theexpected electricity usage, flow, and/or consumption profile includingday-of-week and time-of-day information, and may be based uponelectricity usage, flow, and/or consumption detected by a wirelessElectricity Monitor (EM) device (which may include one or moreprocessors, sensors, and/or transceivers) over a period of time; (2)monitor, via the wireless EM device, home and individual electronic orelectric device/appliance electricity usage, flow, and/or consumptionbefore an insurance-related event, the wireless EM device wirelesslydetects unique electronic or electric signatures of each electronic orelectric device being powered by the home's electricity or electricalsystem; (3) receive an insurance claim associated with damage to aninsured home (such as via wireless communication or data transmissionover one or more radio links or communication channels); (4) compare theelectricity usage, flow, and/or consumption before the insurance-relatedevent with the expected electricity usage, flow, and/or consumption toverify normal electricity usage, flow, and/or consumption data (and/ordetect an abnormal electricity usage, flow, and/or consumption) prior tothe insurance-related event, the comparison may indicate that the homewas occupied as expected (or alternatively, to indicate that the home'soccupancy increased or decreased); and/or (5) when the normalelectricity usage, flow, and/or consumption is detected, verify theaccuracy of the insurance claim to facilitate verifying a lack ofbuildup or insurance claim fraud promptly to enhance the online customerexperience and facilitate insurance claim processing. The system mayinclude additional, less, or alternate functionality, including thatdiscussed elsewhere herein.

Cognitive Computing & Machine Learning

The present embodiments may also employ cognitive computing and/orpredictive modeling techniques, including machine learning techniques oralgorithms. For instance, electricity flow, usage, and/or consumptiondata, as well as other types of data (e.g., home telematics data,vehicle telematics data, mobile device or wearable data, etc.) may beinput into machine learning programs may be trained to (i) determine astatistical likelihood that an electric device or wiring is failing orin need of maintenance, (ii) build baselines of electricity usage orflow, and detect abnormal events or deviations from the baseline, (iii)determine one or more corrective actions, such as those discussedelsewhere herein, (iv) optimize electric device usage or energizationwithin a home, (v) predict home occupancy, (vi) update home, vehicle,personal/individual, or personal article risk profiles, (vii) customizean insurance or loan product, (viii) select and recommend repair orreplacement electric devices, and/or (ix) schedule maintenance withpreferred repair shops.

In certain embodiments, the cognitive computing and/or predictivemodeling techniques discussed herein may include heuristic engine andalgorithms, and/or machine learning, cognitive learning, deep learning,combined learning, and/or pattern recognition techniques. For instance,a processor or a processing element may be trained using supervised orunsupervised machine learning, and the machine learning program mayemploy a neural network, which may be a convolutional neural network, adeep learning neural network, or a combined learning module or programthat learns in two or more fields or areas of interest. Machine learningmay involve identifying and recognizing patterns in existingelectricity-related data in order to facilitate making predictions forsubsequent data. Models may be created based upon example inputs inorder to make valid and reliable predictions for novel inputs.

Additionally or alternatively, the machine learning programs may betrained by inputting sample data sets or certain data into the programs,such as de-personalized customer electricity-related data, dataassociated with expected electricity patterns for specific types ofelectric devices or homes, and/or image, mobile device, insurerdatabase, and/or third-party database data. The machine learningprograms may utilize deep learning algorithms that may be primarilyfocused on pattern recognition, and/or may be trained after processingmultiple examples. The machine learning programs may include Bayesianprogram learning (BPL), pattern recognition and synthesis, image orobject recognition, optical character recognition, and/or naturallanguage processing—either individually or in combination. The machinelearning programs may also include natural language processing, semanticanalysis, automatic reasoning, and/or machine learning.

In supervised machine learning, a processing element may be providedwith example inputs and their associated outputs, and may seek todiscover a general rule that maps inputs to outputs, so that whensubsequent novel inputs are provided the processing element may, basedupon the discovered rule, accurately predict the correct output. Inunsupervised machine learning, the processing element may be required tofind its own structure in unlabeled example inputs. In one embodiment,machine learning techniques may be used to identify potential loanand/or insurance applicants and customize loan and/or insurance productsfor individual customers.

In one embodiment, a processing element (and/or heuristic engine oralgorithm discussed herein) may be trained by providing it with a largesample of electricity data for known types of electric devices (such asby make and model) having known characteristics or features. Based uponthese analyses, the processing element may learn how to identifycharacteristics and patterns that may then be applied to analyzing theelectricity data discussed herein generated by wireless EM devices, aswell as user mobile or other device details, user request or logindetails, user device sensors, geolocation information, image data, theinsurer database, a third-party database, and/or other data. Forexample, the processing element may learn, with the user's permission oraffirmative consent, to identify the user and/or the individual electricdevices being monitored within the user's home.

Exemplary Machine Learning

Generally, electrical activity about a structure (e.g., a home) may bemonitored via an electricity monitoring (EM) device to detect andcorrect abnormal electrical activity about the structure, using machinelearning techniques. The EM device may monitor electrical activityduring a first period of time, and monitored electrical activity may becorrelated with respective electric devices about the structure byutilizing a unique electrical signature that exists for each respectivedevice. Based upon the correlated electrical activity, a structureelectrical profile may be built, and the profile may depict, forexample, average electricity operation/usage, baseline electricityoperation/usage, and/or expected electricityoperation/usage/consumption. In effect, the structure electricalprofile, based upon real electrical activity about the structure, mayset forth what is “normal” operation and usage of electricity about thestructure. Thus, once the structure electrical profile is built, anyelectrical activity monitored via the EM device at an electricaldistribution board may be analyzed to determine whether electricalactivity is abnormal. In response to the abnormal electrical activity,among other possible factors, corrective actions mitigate damage,prevent damage, and/or remedy the cause of the abnormal electricalactivity the situation may be determined and/or initiated. Some possiblecorrective actions will be discussed herein.

FIG. 11 depicts an exemplary computer-implemented method 1100 forevaluating the integrity of a home's electrical system, and the electricdevices therein, using EF data generated by an EM device 1100 thatcollects EF data, as described herein, i.e., wirelessly. The method 1100may be performed, for example, by the system 100 of FIG. 1 , the system200 of FIG. 2 , another suitable system, or some combination thereof.The method 1100 may include inputting baseline or generic electricityflow, usage, and consumption data associated with a home and/or electricdevices generated by an EM device into a processor equipped orprogrammed with a machine learning program or algorithm (such as aprocessor associated with an insurance provider remote server) to trainthe processor to identify deficiencies and degradation of the home'selectrical system and electric devices (block 1102).

The method 1100 may include receiving current electricity flow, usage,and consumption (EF) data associated with the home and/or electricdevices that is generated by a wireless EM device (block 1104). Forinstance, the EF data may be received at a remote server via wirelesscommunication or data transmission sent from the EM device or a smarthome controller for the home over one or more radio links orcommunication channels.

The method 1100 may include inputting the EF data received into thetrained processor that is trained to identify home electrical system andelectric device deficiencies or degradation based upon the EF data thatis wirelessly gathered, sensed, collected, and/or generated by the EMdevice (block 1106). When one or more electric device deficiencies ordegradations are identified or detected, the method 1100 may includeinitiating one or more corrective actions under the direction andcontrol of the remote server, or another local or remote processor(block 1108). The corrective actions may include those discussedelsewhere herein.

The method 1100 may include monitoring the results of the correctiveaction (block 1110). For instance, a determination may be made whetherthe corrective actions were effective or ineffective, and the resultslogged. If the corrective actions were ineffective, additionalcorrective actions may be recommended or implemented. If the correctiveactions were effective, the method 1100 may include updating home, auto,and/or personal articles insurance discounts (block 1112) to reward riskaverse home owners that employ the preventive and mitigatingfunctionality disclosed herein.

FIG. 12 depicts a computer-implemented method 1200 for detecting andcorrecting abnormal electrical activity about a structure, such as ahome. Generally, the method 1200 may be performed by the system 100 ofFIG. 1 , by the system 200 of FIG. 2 , by another suitable system, or bysome suitable combination thereof.

The method 1200 may include monitoring, via an electricity monitoringdevice, during a first period of time, first electrical activitycomprising transmission of electricity via an electrical distributionboard to a plurality of electric devices about the structure (block1202). A device of the plurality of electric devices may be, forexample, any suitable electric device described herein with regard toFIG. 2 , or otherwise described in this detailed description. A recordof the monitored electrical activity may be stored, for example, at theEM device or at another system (e.g., an insurance system or a smartcontroller of the structure).

The method 1200 may also include correlating, via one or more processingelements, the transmitted first electrical activity with respectiveelectric devices of the plurality of electric devices receiving thetransmitted electricity, based upon an electrical signature unique toeach respective electric device (block 1204). In other words, theelectricity monitored at the electrical distribution board by the EMdevice may be mapped to the individual electric devices to which theelectricity was transmitted.

The one or more processing elements may include one or more processingelements of the EM device. In other words, one or more processingelements of the EM device itself may perform at least some of theprocessing element-implemented functions described herein. Additionallyor alternatively, the one or more processing elements may include one ormore processing elements external to the electricity monitoring device.In other words, the EM device may transmit data and/or signals, via oneor more processing elements of the EM device to another entity (e.g., anelectricity provider entity or an insurance entity) to report themonitored electrical activity, and at least some processingelement-implemented functions described herein may be performed by oneor more processing elements of the other entity.

The method 1200 may also include training the one or more processingelements to identify abnormal electrical activity about the structure,based at least upon the correlated first electrical activity (block1206). Training the one or more processing elements to identify abnormalelectrical activity may include training the one or more processingelements to detect, identify, and/or correct abnormal electricalactivity such as an arc fault, an unsafe power draw, and/or anotherabnormal electrical activity described in this detailed description

In some embodiments, training the one or more processing elements mayinclude building a structure electrical profile including, for eachrespective electric device, data indicative of operation of therespective electric device during at least the first period of time.Operation data of electric devices may include, for example, historical,average, expected, or baseline electricity consumption by one or more ofthe electric devices about the structure, as described herein withregard to FIG. 2 . Further, the structure electrical profile mayinclude, for example, electricity consumption data pertaining to thestructure as a whole, as described wherein with regard to FIG. 2 . Thestructure electrical profile may include additional or alternativeprofile data regarding the structure and/or the electric devicesthereabouts, including any profile data described in this detaileddescription. The structure electrical profile may be stored at acomputer memory of the EM device or at another system (e.g., aninsurance system, or a smart home controller).

The method 1200 may also include monitoring, via the electricitymonitoring device, during a second period of time subsequent to thefirst period, second electrical activity comprising transmission ofelectricity via the electrical distribution board to the plurality ofelectric devices about the structure (block 1208). In other words,during or after training of the one or more processing elements, the EMdevice may continue to monitor electrical activity about the structurein a manner similar to that described above.

The method 1200 may also include identifying, via the one or moretrained processing elements, from the second electrical activity, anabnormal electrical activity about the structure (block 1210).

Identifying an abnormal electrical activity about the structure mayinclude identifying a failing or faulty electric device. As just oneexample, abnormal electrical activity may include a laundry washercontinuing to consume significant amounts of electricity even after awashing cycle would be expected to end (the expectation may be based,for example, upon profile data regarding the washer at the structureelectrical profile). This phenomenon may suggest that the washer isstuck at some stage of a washing cycle, indicating some failure or faultof the washer.

Alternatively, an identified abnormal electrical activity associatedwith an electric device may be caused not by a failure or fault in theelectric device itself, but instead of some other element of thestructure. For example, abnormal electrical activity may include anelectric heater consuming a greater amount of electricity than would beexpected at a given time. This phenomenon may indicate a problem aboutthe structure that is not electrical in nature, but that still posesrisk to the structure (e.g., an open or broken window, or a displacedinsulating material).

Additionally or alternatively, the abnormal electrical activity mayinclude activity indicative of an arc fault or short circuit associatedwith an electric device, with the electrical distribution board, and/orwith some other component of the structure's electrical system.

Additionally or alternatively, the one or more trained processingelements may retrospectively identify abnormal electrical activity fromthe first electrical activity (e.g., a spike in the first electricalactivity), in a manner similar to that described herein regarding thesecond electrical activity.

The method 1200 may also include initiating, via the one or moreprocessing elements, one or more corrective actions for mitigating orpreventing damage to the structure as a result of the abnormalelectrical activity (block 1212).

The one or more corrective actions may include automaticallyde-energizing or turning off one or more electric devices. For example,if an electric device is identified as using an unsafe amount ofelectricity, the device may be de-energized before it can cause damageto the structure (e.g., a fire) and/or the electrical system therein.Additionally or alternatively, the one or more corrective actions mayinclude opening one or more circuit breakers of the structure.

Additionally or alternatively, the one or more corrective actions mayinclude notifying, via the one or more processing elements, an emergencyresponse entity (e.g., a fire department) in response to the abnormalelectrical activity. This corrective action may be particularlynecessary if an abnormal electrical activity indicates an imminentthreat (e.g., a fire) to the structure and/or to parties within thestructure.

Additionally or alternatively, the one or more corrective actions mayinclude (i) generating, via the one or more processing elements, anelectronic or virtual message indicating the abnormal activity, and (ii)transmitting, via the one or more processing elements, the electronic orvirtual message to a computing device (e.g., a smartphone) of a party(e.g., a homeowner) associated with the structure. In other words, atleast one of the one or more corrective actions may be to notify arelevant party of the abnormal electrical activity. The message mayinclude notification of one or more corrective actions already taken;additionally or alternatively, one or more corrective actions may besuggested via the message, and the party may approve the one or morecorrective actions via an interaction at the party's computing device.

In any case, initiating the one or more corrective actions may includedetermining at least one of the one or more corrective actions basedupon an identified location of a mobile device associated with theparty. For example, the method 1200 may include locating, via the one ormore processing elements, a smartphone of a homeowner associated withthe structure. Based upon whether the homeowner (as indicated by thesmartphone) is within the structure or far from the structure, the oneor more corrective actions may be determined. If the homeowner isdetermined to be within the structure, a corrective action may simply beto notify the homeowner of a potentially dangerous or imminentlydangerous situation. If the homeowner is far from the structure,however, it may be more likely that a corrective action includesnotifying an emergency response entity (e.g., a fire department) of theabnormal electrical activity.

Additionally or alternatively, the one or more corrective actions mayinclude any other suitable corrective actions discussed in this detaileddescription.

In some embodiments, the method 1200 may further include generating, viathe one or more processing elements, an insurance discount for a partyassociated with the structure when one or more corrective actions areperformed. Performance of one or more corrective actions may beassociated with reduced risk to the structure or to a party (e.g., ahomeowner) inhabiting the structure. The insurance discount may includea discount to a property insurance policy, a personal (e.g., life)insurance policy, and/or another suitable insurance policy. In any case,a notification (e.g., virtual message) of the insurance discount may betransmitted to a mobile computing device of a party associated with thestructure and/or the insurance policy.

Additional, fewer, or alternative functions to the method 1200 arepossible. Additionally, one or more elements of the method 1200 mayproceed in an order different from that depicted in FIG. 12 .

Exemplary Machine Learning Computer Systems

In one aspect, a computer system for evaluating the integrity of ahome's electrical system and the electric devices therein may beprovided. The computer system may include one or more processors,transceivers, and/or sensors configured to: (1) train a processingelement to identify deficiencies or degradation of electric devicesbased upon electricity flow, usage, or consumption (EF) data gathered,collected, sensed, and/or generated by a wireless Electricity Monitoring(EM) device, the EM device wirelessly identifies individual electricityflow to a specific electric device and/or correlates that individualelectricity flow to that specific electric device based upon an uniqueelectrical signature of the specific electric device that is detected bythe EM device; (2) receive, via a communication element, currentelectricity flow, usage, or consumption (EF) data for the home andelectric devices therein gathered, collected, sensed, and/or generatedby the wireless Electricity Monitoring (EM) device; (3) analyze thecurrent EF data for the home and electric devices therein with thetrained processing element to determine or detect one or moredeficiencies or degradations for the home and the electric devicestherein; and/or (4) initiate, via the processing element, a correctiveaction that mitigates or prevents damage to the home or an electricdevice when one or more deficiencies or degradations for the home and/orelectric devices therein are detected to facilitate proactive homemonitoring and maintenance. The system may include additional, less, oralternate functionality, including that discussed elsewhere herein.

For instance, the corrective action may include: identifying, via theprocessing element, faulty wiring and/or a location or extent of thefaulty wiring within the home; generating, via the processing element,an electronic message detailing the faulty wiring; and/or transmitting,via the processing element and/or an associated transceiver, theelectronic message to a customer's mobile device for their review.

The corrective action may include: identifying, via the processingelement, a faulty or failing electric device within the home;generating, via the processing element, an electronic message detailingthe faulty or failing device; and/or transmitting, via the processingelement and/or an associated transceiver, the electronic message to acustomer's mobile device for their review.

The corrective action may include: identifying, via the processingelement, an electric device in need of replacement or maintenance withinthe home; generating, via the processing element, an electronic messagedetailing the need for electric device replacement or maintenance;and/or transmitting, via the processing element and/or an associatedtransceiver, the electronic message to a customer's mobile device fortheir review.

The corrective action may include: identifying, via the processingelement, an electricity usage inefficiency by the home and/or anelectric devices within the home; generating, via the processingelement, an electronic message detailing the electricity usageinefficiency, and including a recommendation for more efficientelectricity usage; and/or transmitting, via the processing elementand/or an associated transceiver, the electronic message to a customer'smobile device for their review.

The corrective action may include: identifying, via the processingelement, electricity instability for electricity coming into the homeand/or the electric devices within the home; generating, via theprocessing element, an electronic message detailing the electricityinstability, and including a recommendation for mitigating risk; and/ortransmitting, via the processing element and/or an associatedtransceiver, the electronic message to a customer's mobile device fortheir review.

The corrective action may include: identifying, via the processingelement, electricity instability for an electric or hybrid vehicleconnected to the home's electrical system; generating, via theprocessing element, an electronic message detailing the electricityinstability, and including a recommendation for mitigating risk; and/ortransmitting, via the processing element and/or an associatedtransceiver, the electronic message to a customer's mobile device fortheir review.

The corrective action may include: identifying, via the processingelement, a deficiency or degradation of the electric system and/orbattery for an electric or hybrid vehicle connected to the home'selectrical system (such as during battery charging when the vehicle isnot in use); generating, via the processing element, an electronicmessage detailing the deficiency or degradation, and including arecommendation for mitigating risk; and/or transmitting, via theprocessing element and/or an associated transceiver, the electronicmessage to a customer's mobile device for their review.

The corrective action may include: identifying, via the processingelement, electric arc sparking within the home and/or associated with aspecific electric device or breaker; generating, via the processingelement, an electronic message detailing the electric arc sparking, andincluding a recommendation for mitigating risk or eliminating theelectric arc sparking; and/or transmitting, via the processing elementand/or an associated transceiver, the electronic message to a customer'smobile device for their review.

The processing element may be further configured to combine the EF datawith other types of data, such as home telematics data or vehicletelematics data, to form a combined data set. The processing element maybe further trained to identify electric device deficiencies ordegradation based upon analysis of the combined data set. The processingelement may be trained using combined data sets.

In another aspect, a computer system for evaluating the integrity of ahome's electrical system and the electric devices therein may beprovided. The computer system may include one or more processors,transceivers, and/or sensors configured to: (1) input electricity flow,usage, or consumption (EF) data gathered, collected, sensed, and/orgenerated by a wireless Electricity Monitoring (EM) device into aprocessing element trained to identify deficiencies or degradation ofelectric devices based upon EF data gathered, sensed, collected, and/orgenerated by the EM device, the EM device configured to wirelesslyidentify individual electricity flow to a specific electric device basedupon the specific electric device's unique electric or electricalsignature (and/or correlate individual electricity flow to that specificelectric device based upon the unique electrical signature of thespecific electric device); (2) determine or detect, via the trainedprocessing element, one or more deficiencies or degradations for thehome and the electric devices therein; and/or (3) initiate, via theprocessing element, a corrective action that mitigates or preventsdamage to the home or an electric device when one or more deficienciesor degradations for the home and electric devices therein are detectedto facilitate proactive home monitoring and maintenance. The system mayinclude additional, less, or alternate actions, including thosediscussed elsewhere herein.

Exemplary Machine Learning Computer-Implemented Methods

In one aspect, a computer-implemented method for evaluating theintegrity of a home's electrical system and the electric devices thereinusing machine learning may be provided. The method may be performed, forexample, by the system 100 of FIG. 1 , the system 200 of FIG. 2 ,another suitable system, or some combination thereof. The method mayinclude (1) training a processing element to identify deficiencies ordegradation of electric devices based upon electricity flow, usage, orconsumption (EF) data gathered, collected, and/or generated by awireless Electricity Monitoring (EM) device, the EM device wirelesslyidentifies individual electricity flow to a specific electric device andcorrelates that individual electricity flow to that specific electricdevice based upon an unique electrical signature of the specificelectric device; (2) receiving, via a communication element (such as viawired or wireless communication or data transmission over one or moreradio links or communication channels), current electricity flow, usage,or consumption (EF) data for the home and electric devices thereingathered, collected, and/or generated by the wireless ElectricityMonitoring (EM) device; (3) analyzing the current EF data for the homeand electric devices therein with the trained processing element todetermine or detect one or more deficiencies or degradations for thehome and electric devices therein; and/or (4) initiating, via theprocessing element, a corrective action that mitigates or preventsdamage to the home or the electric device when one or more deficienciesor degradations for the home and electric devices therein are detectedto facilitate proactive home monitoring and maintenance. The method mayinclude additional, less, or alternate actions, including thosediscussed elsewhere herein.

For instance, the corrective action may include: identifying, via theprocessing element, faulty wiring and/or a location and/or extent of thefaulty wiring within the home; generating, via the processing element,an electronic message detailing the faulty wiring; and/or transmitting,via the processing element and/or an associated transceiver, theelectronic message to a customer's mobile device for their review.

The corrective action may include: identifying, via the processingelement, a faulty or failing electric device within the home;generating, via the processing element, an electronic message detailingthe faulty or failing device; and/or transmitting, via the processingelement and/or an associated transceiver, the electronic message to acustomer's mobile device for their review.

The corrective action may include: identifying, via the processingelement, an electric device in need of replacement or maintenance withinthe home; generating, via the processing element, an electronic messagedetailing the need for electric device replacement or maintenance;and/or transmitting, via the processing element and/or an associatedtransceiver, the electronic message to a customer's mobile device fortheir review.

The corrective action may include: identifying, via the processingelement, an electricity usage inefficiency by the home and/or theelectric devices within the home; generating, via the processingelement, an electronic message detailing the electricity usageinefficiency, and including a recommendation for more efficientelectricity usage; and/or transmitting, via the processing elementand/or an associated transceiver, the electronic message to a customer'smobile device for their review.

The corrective action may include: identifying, via the processingelement, electricity instability for electricity coming into the homeand/or the electric devices within the home; generating, via theprocessing element, an electronic message detailing the electricityinstability, and including a recommendation for mitigating risk; and/ortransmitting, via the processing element and/or an associatedtransceiver, the electronic message to a customer's mobile device fortheir review.

The corrective action may include: identifying, via the processingelement, electricity instability for an electric or hybrid vehicleconnected to the home's electrical system (such as during wired orwireless battery charging or energy transfer from the home to thevehicle, or vice versa); generating, via the processing element, anelectronic message detailing the electricity instability, and includinga recommendation for mitigating risk; and/or transmitting, via theprocessing element and/or an associated transceiver, the electronicmessage to a customer's mobile device for their review.

The corrective action may include: identifying, via the processingelement, a deficiency or degradation of the electric system and/orbattery for an electric or hybrid vehicle connected to the home'selectrical system; generating, via the processing element, an electronicmessage detailing the deficiency or degradation, and including arecommendation for mitigating risk or damage; and/or transmitting, viathe processing element and/or an associated transceiver, the electronicmessage to a customer's mobile device for their review.

The corrective action may include: identifying, via the processingelement, electric arc sparking within the home and/or associated with aspecific electric device or breaker; generating, via the processingelement, an electronic message detailing the electric arc sparking, andincluding a recommendation for mitigating risk or damage; and/ortransmitting, via the processing element and/or an associatedtransceiver, the electronic message to a customer's mobile device fortheir review.

The processing element may be further configured to combine the EF datawith other types of data, such as home telematics data or vehicletelematics data, to form a combined data set. The processing element maybe further trained to identify electric device deficiencies ordegradations based upon analysis of the combined data set.

In another aspect, a computer-implemented method for evaluating theintegrity of a home's electrical system and the electric devices thereinmay be provided. The computer-implemented method may include (1)inputting electricity flow, usage, or consumption (EF) data gathered,collected, and/or generated by a wireless Electricity Monitoring (EM)device into a processing element trained to identify deficiencies ordegradation of electric devices based upon EF data gathered, collected,and/or generated by the EM device, the EM device configured towirelessly identify individual electricity flow to a specific electricdevice based upon the specific electric device's unique electric orelectrical signature (and/or correlate individual electricity flow tothat specific electric device based upon the unique electrical signatureof the specific electric device); (2) determining or detecting, via thetrained processing element, one or more deficiencies or degradations forthe home and the electric devices therein; and/or (3) initiating, viathe processing element, a corrective action that mitigates or preventsdamage to the home or an electric device when one or more deficienciesor degradations for the home and electric devices therein are detectedto facilitate proactive home monitoring and maintenance. The method mayinclude additional, less, or alternate actions, including thosediscussed elsewhere herein.

Additional Considerations

As used herein, the term “smart” may refer to devices, sensors, orappliances located within or proximate to a property, and with theability to communicate information about the status of the device,sensor, or appliance and/or receive instructions that control theoperation of the device, sensor, or appliance, such as via wired orwireless communication or data transmissions. For example, a smartthermostat may be able to remotely communicate the current temperatureof the home and receive instructions to adjust the temperature to a newlevel. As another example, a smart water tank may be able to remotelycommunicate the water level contained therein and receive instructionsto restrict the flow of water leaving the tank. In contrast, “dumb”devices, sensors, or appliances located within or proximate to aproperty may require manual control. Referring again to the thermostatexample, to adjust the temperature on a “dumb” thermostat, a person mayhave to manually interact with the thermostat. As such, a person may beunable to use a communication network to remotely adjust a “dumb”device, sensor, or appliance.

A “smart device” as used herein may refer to any of a smart device,sensor, appliance, and/or other smart equipment that may be located (ordisposed) within or proximate to a property. In some embodiments inwhich an appliance and a sensor external to the particular appliance areassociated with each other, “smart device” may refer to both theexternal sensors and the appliance collectively. Some examples ofdevices that may be “smart devices” are, without limitation, valves,piping, clothes washers/dryers, dish washers, refrigerators, sprinklersystems, toilets, showers, sinks, soil monitors, doors, locks, windows,shutters, ovens, grills, fire places, furnaces, lighting, sump pumps,security cameras, and alarm systems. Similarly, an individual associatedwith the property shall be referred to as the “homeowner,” “propertyowner,” or “policyholder,” but it is also envisioned that the individualmay be a family member of the homeowner, a person renting/subletting theproperty, a person living or working on the property, a neighbor of theproperty, or any other individual that may have an interest inpreventing or mitigating damage to the property.

Further, any reference to “home” or “property” is meant to be exemplaryand not limiting. The systems and methods described herein may beapplied to any property, such as homes, offices, farms, lots, parks,apartments, condos, and/or other types of properties or buildings.Accordingly, “homeowner” may be used interchangeably with “propertyowner.”

Although the following text sets forth a detailed description ofnumerous different embodiments, it should be understood that the legalscope of the invention may be defined by the words of the claims setforth at the end of this patent. The detailed description is to beconstrued as exemplary only and does not describe every possibleembodiment, as describing every possible embodiment would beimpractical, if not impossible. One could implement numerous alternateembodiments, using either current technology or technology developedafter the filing date of this patent, which would still fall within thescope of the claims.

Throughout this specification, plural instances may implementcomponents, operations, or structures described as a single instance.Although individual operations of one or more methods are illustratedand described as separate operations, one or more of the individualoperations may be performed concurrently, and nothing requires that theoperations be performed in the order illustrated. Structures andfunctionality presented as separate components in example configurationsmay be implemented as a combined structure or component. Similarly,structures and functionality presented as a single component may beimplemented as separate components. These and other variations,modifications, additions, and improvements fall within the scope of thesubject matter herein.

Additionally, certain embodiments are described herein as includinglogic or a number of routines, subroutines, applications, orinstructions. These may constitute either software (e.g., code embodiedon a non-transitory, machine-readable medium) or hardware. In hardware,the routines, etc., are tangible units capable of performing certainoperations and may be configured or arranged in a certain manner. Inexample embodiments, one or more computer systems (e.g., a standalone,client or server computer system) or one or more hardware modules of acomputer system (e.g., a processor or a group of processors) may beconfigured by software (e.g., an application or application portion) asa hardware module that operates to perform certain operations asdescribed herein.

In various embodiments, a hardware module may be implementedmechanically or electronically. For example, a hardware module maycomprise dedicated circuitry or logic that may be permanently configured(e.g., as a special-purpose processor, such as a field programmable gatearray (FPGA) or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)) toperform certain operations. A hardware module may also compriseprogrammable logic or circuitry (e.g., as encompassed within ageneral-purpose processor or other programmable processor) that may betemporarily configured by software to perform certain operations. Itwill be appreciated that the decision to implement a hardware modulemechanically, in dedicated and permanently configured circuitry, or intemporarily configured circuitry (e.g., configured by software) may bedriven by cost and time considerations.

Accordingly, the term “hardware module” should be understood toencompass a tangible entity, be that an entity that is physicallyconstructed, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarilyconfigured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a certain manner or toperform certain operations described herein. Considering embodiments inwhich hardware modules are temporarily configured (e.g., programmed),each of the hardware modules need not be configured or instantiated atany one instance in time. For example, where the hardware modulescomprise a general-purpose processor configured using software, thegeneral-purpose processor may be configured as respective differenthardware modules at different times. Software may accordingly configurea processor, for example, to constitute a particular hardware module atone instance of time and to constitute a different hardware module at adifferent instance of time.

Hardware modules may provide information to, and receive informationfrom, other hardware modules. Accordingly, the described hardwaremodules may be regarded as being communicatively coupled. Where multipleof such hardware modules exist contemporaneously, communications may beachieved through signal transmission (e.g., over appropriate circuitsand buses) that connect the hardware modules. In embodiments in whichmultiple hardware modules are configured or instantiated at differenttimes, communications between such hardware modules may be achieved, forexample, through the storage and retrieval of information in memorystructures to which the multiple hardware modules have access. Forexample, one hardware module may perform an operation and store theoutput of that operation in a memory device to which it may becommunicatively coupled. A further hardware module may then, at a latertime, access the memory device to retrieve and process the storedoutput. Hardware modules may also initiate communications with input oroutput devices, and may operate on a resource (e.g., a collection ofinformation).

The various operations of example methods described herein may beperformed, at least partially, by one or more processors that aretemporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured toperform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanentlyconfigured, such processors may constitute processor-implemented modulesthat operate to perform one or more operations or functions. The modulesreferred to herein may, in some example embodiments, compriseprocessor-implemented modules.

Similarly, the methods or routines described herein may be at leastpartially processor-implemented. For example, at least some of theoperations of a method may be performed by one or more processors orprocessor-implemented hardware modules. The performance of certain ofthe operations may be distributed among the one or more processors, notonly residing within a single machine, but deployed across a number ofmachines. In some example embodiments, the processor or processors maybe located in a single location (e.g., within a home environment, anoffice environment, or as a server farm), while in other embodiments theprocessors may be distributed across a number of locations.

The performance of certain of the operations may be distributed amongthe one or more processors, not only residing within a single machine,but deployed across a number of machines. In some example embodiments,the one or more processors or processor-implemented modules may belocated in a single geographic location (e.g., within a homeenvironment, an office environment, or a server farm). In other exampleembodiments, the one or more processors or processor-implemented modulesmay be distributed across a number of geographic locations.

Unless specifically stated otherwise, discussions herein using wordssuch as “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,”“presenting,” “displaying,” or the like may refer to actions orprocesses of a machine (e.g., a computer) that manipulates or transformsdata represented as physical (e.g., electronic, magnetic, or optical)quantities within one or more memories (e.g., volatile memory,non-volatile memory, or a combination thereof), registers, or othermachine components that receive, store, transmit, or displayinformation.

As used herein any reference to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment”means that a particular element, feature, structure, or characteristicdescribed in connection with the embodiment may be included in at leastone embodiment. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” invarious places in the specification are not necessarily all referring tothe same embodiment.

The terms “insurer,” “insuring party,” and “insurance provider” are usedinterchangeably herein to generally refer to a party or entity (e.g., abusiness or other organizational entity) that provides insuranceproducts, e.g., by offering and issuing insurance policies. Typically,but not necessarily, an insurance provider may be an insurance company.

Although the embodiments discussed herein relate to home or personalproperty insurance policies, it should be appreciated that an insuranceprovider may offer or provide one or more different types of insurancepolicies. Other types of insurance policies may include, for example,condominium owner insurance, renter's insurance, life insurance (e.g.,whole-life, universal, variable, term), health insurance, disabilityinsurance, long-term care insurance, annuities, business insurance(e.g., property, liability, commercial auto, workers compensation,professional and specialty liability, inland marine and mobile property,surety and fidelity bonds), automobile insurance, boat insurance,insurance for catastrophic events such as flood, fire, volcano damageand the like, motorcycle insurance, farm and ranch insurance, personalliability insurance, personal umbrella insurance, community organizationinsurance (e.g., for associations, religious organizations,cooperatives), and other types of insurance products. In embodiments asdescribed herein, the insurance providers process claims related toinsurance policies that cover one or more properties (e.g., homes,automobiles, personal property), although processing other insurancepolicies may also be envisioned.

The terms “insured,” “insured party,” “policyholder,” “customer,”“claimant,” and “potential claimant” are used interchangeably herein torefer to a person, party, or entity (e.g., a business or otherorganizational entity) that is covered by the insurance policy, e.g.,whose insured article or entity (e.g., property, life, health, auto,home, business) is covered by the policy. A “guarantor,” as used herein,generally refers to a person, party or entity that is responsible forpayment of the insurance premiums. The guarantor may or may not be thesame party as the insured, such as in situations when a guarantor haspower of attorney for the insured. An “annuitant,” as referred toherein, generally refers to a person, party or entity that is entitledto receive benefits from an annuity insurance product offered by theinsuring party. The annuitant may or may not be the same party as theguarantor.

As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “may include,”“including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof, areintended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process,method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is notnecessarily limited to only those elements but may include otherelements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method,article, or apparatus. Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary,“or” refers to an inclusive or and not to an exclusive or. For example,a condition A or B is satisfied by any one of the following: A is true(or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or notpresent) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (orpresent).

In addition, use of the “a” or “an” are employed to describe elementsand components of the embodiments herein. This is done merely forconvenience and to give a general sense of the description. Thisdescription, and the claims that follow, should be read to include oneor at least one and the singular also may include the plural unless itis obvious that it is meant otherwise.

This detailed description is to be construed as examples and does notdescribe every possible embodiment, as describing every possibleembodiment would be impractical, if not impossible. One could implementnumerous alternate embodiments, using either current technology ortechnology developed after the filing date of this application.

1-20. (canceled)
 21. A computer-implemented method of verifying anelectrical event about a structure, the method comprising: wirelesslyreceiving, by an electricity monitoring device positioned in vicinity ofan electrical distribution board of the structure, home telematics datacollected from at least one or a smart appliance or a sensor;monitoring, by the electricity monitoring device, electrical activityabout the structure by wirelessly detecting an electricity flow to oneor more electric devices that are coupled to the electrical distributionboard; correlating, by one or more processors, the electrical activitywith respective electric devices of the one or more electric devicesbased upon an electrical signature unique to each respective electricdevice; receiving, by the one or more processors, an indication ofdamage to the structure or to one or more devices of the one or moreelectric devices and an indication of a cause of the damage; determiningwhether the indicated damage occurred by analyzing, by the one or moreprocessors, the correlated electrical activity and the home telematicsdata; and determining, by the one or more processors in response todetermining that the indicated damage occurred, whether the indicatedcause of the indicated damage is consistent with a cause of theindicated damage as determined via the one or more processors based atleast upon the correlated electrical activity and the home telematicsdata.
 22. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein the oneor more processors include one or more processors of the electricitymonitoring device.
 23. The computer-implemented method of claim 21,wherein the structure is a home.
 24. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 21, wherein the indication of damage is an insurance claim, theinsurance claim being verified upon determining that the indicated causeof the indicated damage is consistent with the cause of the indicateddamage as determined via the one or more processors based at least uponthe correlated electrical activity and the home telematics data.
 25. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 24, further comprising processingthe insurance claim when the insurance claim is verified, whereinprocessing the insurance claim includes transmitting a virtual messageto a party associated with the structure to initiate a correctiveaction.
 26. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, furthercomprising determining, by the one or more processors, a replacementdevice to replace at least one of the one or more electric devices;generating, by the one or more processors, a virtual message indicatingthe replacement device; and transmitting, by the one or more processors,the virtual message to a mobile device of a party associated with thestructure.
 27. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, whereinwirelessly detecting an electricity flow includes wirelessly monitoringat least one of (i) a time at which the electricity flow was transmittedto the respective electric devices, (ii) a duration for which theelectricity flow was transmitted to the respective electric devices, and(iii) a magnitude of an electric current of the electricity flow. 28.The computer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein correlating theelectrical activity with the respective electric device comprises:differentiating, by the one or more processors, the electricity flowtransmitted to the respective electric devices based upon the electricalsignature unique to each respective electric device; and generating, bythe one or more processors, data indicative of at least one of a time, aduration, and a magnitude of electricity consumption by the respectiveelectric devices during a period of electrical activity monitoring. 29.A system configured to verify an electrical event about a structure, thesystem comprising: one or more processors; and one or more computermemories storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed bythe one or more processors, cause the system to: wirelessly receive, byan electricity monitoring device positioned in vicinity of an electricaldistribution board of the structure, home telematics data collected fromat least one of a smart appliance and a sensor; monitor, by theelectricity monitoring device, electrical activity about the structureby wirelessly detecting an electricity flow to one or more electricdevices that are coupled to the electrical distribution board;correlate, by the one or more processors, the electrical activity withrespective electric devices of the one or more electric devices, basedupon an electrical signature unique to each respective electric device;receive, by the one or more processors, an indication of damage to thestructure or to one or more electric devices of the one or more electricdevices and an indication of a cause of the damage; determine whetherthe indicated damage occurred by analyzing, by the one or moreprocessors, the correlated electrical activity and the home telematicsdata; and determine, by the one or more processors in response todetermining that the indicated damage occurred, whether the indicatedcause of the indicated damage is consistent with a cause of theindicated damage as determined via the one or more processors based atleast upon the correlated electrical activity and the home telematicsdata.
 30. The system of claim 29, wherein the one or more processorsinclude one or more processors of the electricity monitoring device. 31.The system of claim 29, wherein the structure is a home.
 32. The systemof claim 29, wherein the indication of damage is an insurance claim, theinsurance claim being verified upon determining that the indicated causeof the indicated damage is consistent with the cause of the indicateddamage as determined via the one or more processors based at least uponthe correlated electrical activity and the home telematics data.
 33. Thesystem of claim 32, wherein the computer-executable instructions, whenexecuted by the one or more processors, further cause the system toprocess when the insurance claim is verified including transmitting avirtual message to a party associated with the structure to initiate acorrective action.
 34. The system of claim 29, wherein thecomputer-executable instructions, when executed by the one or moreprocessors, further cause the system to: determine, by the one or moreprocessors, a replacement device to replace at least one of the one ormore electric devices; generate, by the one or more processors, avirtual message indicating the replacement device; and transmit, by theone or more processors, the virtual message to a mobile device of aparty associated with the structure.
 35. The system of claim 29, whereinwirelessly detecting the electricity flow to the one or more electricdevices includes wirelessly monitoring at least one of (i) a time atwhich the electricity flow was transmitted to the respective electricdevices, (ii) a duration for which the electricity flow was transmittedto the respective electric devices, and (iii) a magnitude of an electriccurrent of the electricity flow.
 36. The system of claim 29, whereincorrelating the electrical activity with the respective electric devicecomprises: differentiating the electricity flow transmitted to therespective electric devices based upon the electrical signature uniqueto each respective electric device; and generating data indicative of atleast one of a time, a duration, and a magnitude of electricityconsumption by the respective electric devices during a period ofelectrical activity monitoring.
 37. A non-transitory computer-readablemedium with an executable program stored thereon for verifying anelectrical event about a structure, wherein the program instructs aprocessing element of a computing device to perform the following steps:wirelessly receiving home telematics data collected from at least one ora smart appliance or a sensor; monitoring, by the electricity monitoringdevice, electrical activity about the structure by wirelessly detectingan electricity flow from an electricity monitoring device positioned invicinity of an electrical distribution board of the structure to one ormore electric devices that are coupled to the electrical distributionboard; correlating the electrical activity with respective electricdevices of the one or more electric devices based upon an electricalsignature unique to each respective electric device; receiving anindication of damage to the structure or to one or more devices of theone or more electric devices and an indication of a cause of the damage;determining whether the indicated damage occurred by analyzing thecorrelated electrical activity and the home telematics data; anddetermining, in response to determining that the indicated damageoccurred, whether the indicated cause of the indicated damage isconsistent with a cause of the indicated damage as determined via theone or more processors based at least upon the correlated electricalactivity and the home telematics data.
 38. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 37, wherein the indication of damageis an insurance claim, the insurance claim being verified upondetermining that the indicated cause of the indicated damage isconsistent with the cause of the indicated damage as determined based atleast upon the correlated electrical activity and the home telematicsdata.
 39. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 38,wherein the program further instructs the processing element to processthe insurance claim when the insurance claim is verified, whereinprocessing the insurance claim includes transmitting a virtual messageto a party associated with the structure to initiate a correctiveaction.
 40. The non-volatile computer-readable medium of claim 37,wherein the program further instructs the processing element to:determine a replacement device to replace at least one of the one ormore electric devices; generate a virtual message indicating thereplacement device; and transmit the virtual message to a mobile deviceof a party associated with the structure.